Andy | Saving to Invest

Losing those office perks in corporate cutbacks

A less serious, but widespread fallout of tough economic times for American companies has been the cutting of employee perks and benefits to lower operating costs. Working in corporate America myself, I can attest to some of these cutbacks first hand and I know more are coming down the line…

Did I buy Apple to late (2K loss to date)? A look at their upcoming earnings

When I bought Apple (AAPL) stock a few weeks ago for around $140 (worth $16,000) before the launch of their latest iPhone, I was pretty confident about the prospects for the stock. I expected some short term volatility as it is a growth stock, but since my purchase it has…

Debit Cards linked to your 401(k)! Danger ahead

From a company press release I saw on a financial news site: Reserve Management Corp (RMC) is offering a service to employees that allows debit cards to be linked to 401(k) plans, for easy withdrawal of funds. Their Chairman, Bruce R. Bent, justified this offering by saying that they encourage…

Shopping Effectively

Over the weekend I went shopping to a specific large outlet mall with some visiting out-of-town friends. This outlet mall was one that they specifically wanted to go as was not in the city they came from. During the shopping trip, which lasted about 2hrs, they spent close to $1000…

A Look At The Capital One 360 High Interest Online Savings Account

I recently received a reader question asking me which high yield online savings account is better - the one from HSBC or Capital One's 360 savings account? I had previously written about the appropriate use of high yield savings accounts (HYSA) and in uncertain times, like now, they are a good place to…

How To Get Your Children Interested in Saving with These Investing Lessons

How many times have you looked back on life and wished that you had started investing earlier? Teaching your children, or grandchildren, a few simple lessons about saving and investing can start them off in the right direction toward an informed and more secure financial future. Step 1: The value…

>VMware : Another dot com sequel

>Oh VMware, I was so disappointed when I didn't buy you in the IPO at $29. My pain was worse when you soared past $100, but now I am not so sad since your CEO left and stock price bled. Will I buy you now? I think not, after all…

Is a Market and Economic Bottom on the Cards

The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index, based on a representative sample of 5,000 U.S. households, declined even further in June. In recently released figures the index now stands at 50.4 (1985=100), down from 58.1 in May. The (outlook) Expectations index also declined to 41.0 from 47.3 in May. Consumers' assessment…

Frugally Protecting Yourself from Gas Siphoning Theft

Gas Shortages and Siphoning One of the more unsavory aspects of the sudden rise in gas prices has been a marked increase in criminal gas siphoning activities. This has been widely reported in the media, but over the weekend it struck very close to home when a neighbors car, which…

Easy Ways to Cope With Higher Gas Prices

With gas prices at an all-time high, more and more people are looking for ways to reduce their fuel costs. Being a personal finance blogger, I thought I would join in on the advice band wagon and provide some simple ideas I use and have read about to save on…

Stock markets to Crash or Surge? Week to Week Changes of Opinion Make it Hard For the Average Investor

How fickle financial market pundits are. Just a few weeks ago many experts were saying that the worst of the economic slowdown was behind us and that company valuations were looking extremely attractive. In fact, a number of these so called experts were saying that people should even get back…

World Wealth Report : Millionaires Multiply while Middle Class Incomes Stagnate

2020 Update I posted the update below 12 years ago. President was just sworn in and America was in the middle of the great financial crisis. With the release of 2020 world wealth report, I thought it would be interesting to look at how the rich have got richer and…

$100+ Gas! Making Money If Oil Prices are Rising or Falling

As a consumer I am constantly feeling the pain of rising oil prices whenever I fill gas in my car. As an investor though, I regret missing out on the run up in companies that benefited from higher oil prices. It seems that apart from energy related stocks all other…

Effectively using freed up Daycare dollars

The cost of daycare for preschool age children can be one of the most significant expenses parents face. According to the National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies, a family with a 4 year old child could pay upwards of $10,000 a year for center-based child care. I…