Archive for August, 2009

HEADING EAST

Heading eastMy mother as well as you have motionless to take the mangle so you have been off upon the highway outing for about fifteen days. Leaving the locale as well as streamer east.

Will ’see’ you when you get back.

As per usual, when you take the holiday, there will be no computers or phones etc. It’s tough!

Good luck,
Mike

P.S. Don’t dont think about to put the block ad for giveaway upon Add Your Ad For Free.

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SHOES MAKE MONEY!

I’ve been experimenting with assorted Amazon adverts to see which ones perform the best. I’ve never unequivocally finished which good with this associate program. we get the couple of sales as good as have the bit the commission, though zero as good exciting.

One of the ads we attempted was for their Endless.com store. Without most unrestrained we plonked the header advert for this upon the single of my luminary blogs.

Much as good my warn it’s finished awfully well.

The products have been boots as good as handbags, so they competence not be befitting for all blogs, though they appear to interest to luminary fans.

Endless.com was set up by Amazon as (to allude to them), “…an sparkling shoe as good as purse selling experience. Endless.com is dedicated to upon condition which the most appropriate prices, selection, as good as altogether experience. With giveaway overnight shipping, giveaway lapse shipping, 100% cost guarantee.”

Now what we didn’t realise, even when we put the ad upon my celeb blog, was which the elect for sales is 15%, as against to Amazon’s normal 4%. This patently creates the large difference. Looking during my stats currently I’ve only had $328.15 value of orders which has since me $49.22 commission. If which one after another we could have the decent volume each month.

The sales I’ve had, via August, have all been for boots as good as not handbags.

I suspicion I’d only pass upon the report as it competence be utilitarian to Amazon affiliates as good as consequence we the couple of dollars. If we think, which is, your blog readers competence be in to boots – but, come to consider of it, isn’t everybody in to shoes?

Good luck,
Mike

Add Your Ad For Free: Place the free block for your blog, website or lens.

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CITI FORWARD CARD BONUS & REWARDS FOLLOW-UP: 5X REWARDS AT RESTAURANTS AND AMAZON.COM

<a href="http://www.mymoneyblog.com/r/citi_forward.php”>I betrothed to follow-up upon a facilities of a <a href="http://www.mymoneyblog.com/r/citi_forward.php”>Citi Forward card after removing mine, as well as am eventually removing around to it. Read upon to see how we can get a $100 present card as well as additionally 3.45% money behind with this label during restaurants, Amazon.com, as well as more.

Sign-Up Bonus

New cardholders get 6,000 prerogative ThankYou points after $50 in purchases done inside of 3 months. In addition, we get an additional 5,000 points for selecting paperless statements inside of 3 months.

The 11,000 prerogative ThankYou points showed up promptly. we sealed up for paperless statements immediately, as well as perceived a 5,000 points upon my really initial statement. we done a compulsory $50 in purchases during a initial month (showed up upon a initial statement), as well as perceived a 6,000 points upon my second statement.

5x ThankYou Points

This label functions off a same ThankYou points complement as most alternative Citibank cards. 10,000 points = $100 present label during stores similar to Sears, Macy’s, Staples, Old Navy, Gap, etc. 12,700 points = $100 towards a tyro loan or debt payment. 14,000 points = $100 prepaid Visa credit card. 14,500 points = $100 matter credit.

What creates this label singular is which we get 5 points for each $1 we spend upon books, movies, music, as well as during restaurants. On all else, we get a solid vanilla 1 prerogative indicate for each $1 spent. No annual fee.

5x Rewards during Restaurants
Again, during 1 penny per indicate with present cards, removing 5x points is similar to removing 5% behind when eating out. Even if we modify to loyal cash, that’s still 3.45% money behind during restaurants (5/1.45). Or 3.57% behind if we have been fine with prepaid Visa card, which we am given they have been serviceable anywhere which takes credit cards.

I have gotten my 5x rewards during quick food restaurants (McDonald’s), sequence sit-down restaurants (Chili’s, etc), as well as additionally mom-and-pop places.

5x Rewards during Amazon.com
I can additionally strictly endorse which Amazon.com is deliberate a bookstore. This is loyal even if your complete squeeze (or any of it) did not enclose books. we done a single squeeze with books, as well as a single with usually electronics, as well as got 5x points for both. So we can in truth get 3.45% money behind during Amazon, or 5% behind in a form of present cards.

The 5x points uncover up alone underneath a “Bonus Points by Category Earned” upon your online statement:

<a href="http://www.mymoneyblog.com/r/citi_forward.php”>

I can additionally endorse it functions during Regal film theaters. we have this label stored online during my Amazon comment so we don’t forget, as well as it’s in my wallet noted for restaurants only. Makes it easy to lane my dining-out budget!

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MY DOG’S FAVORITE CHEW TOY IS NOW FREE

This competence be utterly viewable to others, as well as I’m substantially opening myself to ridicule, though we usually not long ago detected it as well as find it awesome. If we have dog which similar to to gnaw things, most of those whim plush cheep toys final about the day. But if we take an dull cosmetic H2O bottle, trip in inside an aged sock, as well as tie off the end, we right away have an unconstrained supply of giveaway dog toys!

I did this after anticipating $10 “bottle buddies” during the dog store, as well as have already left by 3 of these things in the small over the week. Removing the top as well as ring helps equivocate the choking hazard.

Share this Post[?]
        

CITI FORWARD CARD BONUS & REWARDS FOLLOW-UP: 5X REWARDS AT RESTAURANTS AND AMAZON.COM

<a href="http://www.mymoneyblog.com/r/citi_forward.php”>I betrothed to follow-up upon a facilities of a <a href="http://www.mymoneyblog.com/r/citi_forward.php”>Citi Forward card after removing mine, as well as am eventually removing around to it. Read upon to see how we can get a $100 present card as well as additionally 3.45% money behind with this label during restaurants, Amazon.com, as well as more.

Sign-Up Bonus

New cardholders get 6,000 prerogative ThankYou points after $50 in purchases done inside of 3 months. In addition, we get an additional 5,000 points for selecting paperless statements inside of 3 months.

The 11,000 prerogative ThankYou points showed up promptly. we sealed up for paperless statements immediately, as well as perceived a 5,000 points upon my really initial statement. we done a compulsory $50 in purchases during a initial month (showed up upon a initial statement), as well as perceived a 6,000 points upon my second statement.

5x ThankYou Points

This label functions off a same ThankYou points complement as most alternative Citibank cards. 10,000 points = $100 present label during stores similar to Sears, Macy’s, Staples, Old Navy, Gap, etc. 12,700 points = $100 towards a tyro loan or debt payment. 14,000 points = $100 prepaid Visa credit card. 14,500 points = $100 matter credit.

What creates this label singular is which we get 5 points for each $1 we spend upon books, movies, music, as well as during restaurants. On all else, we get a solid vanilla 1 prerogative indicate for each $1 spent. No annual fee.

5x Rewards during Restaurants
Again, during 1 penny per indicate with present cards, removing 5x points is similar to removing 5% behind when eating out. Even if we modify to loyal cash, that’s still 3.45% money behind during restaurants (5/1.45). Or 3.57% behind if we have been fine with prepaid Visa card, which we am given they have been serviceable anywhere which takes credit cards.

I have gotten my 5x rewards during quick food restaurants (McDonald’s), sequence sit-down restaurants (Chili’s, etc), as well as additionally mom-and-pop places.

5x Rewards during Amazon.com
I can additionally strictly endorse which Amazon.com is deliberate a bookstore. This is loyal even if your complete squeeze (or any of it) did not enclose books. we done a single squeeze with books, as well as a single with usually electronics, as well as got 5x points for both. So we can in truth get 3.45% money behind during Amazon, or 5% behind in a form of present cards.

The 5x points uncover up alone underneath a “Bonus Points by Category Earned” upon your online statement:

<a href="http://www.mymoneyblog.com/r/citi_forward.php”>

I can additionally endorse it functions during Regal film theaters. we have this label stored online during my Amazon comment so we don’t forget, as well as it’s in my wallet noted for restaurants only. Makes it easy to lane my dining-out budget!

Share this Post[?]
        

MY DOG’S FAVORITE CHEW TOY IS NOW FREE

This competence be utterly viewable to others, as well as I’m substantially opening myself to ridicule, though we usually not long ago detected it as well as find it awesome. If we have dog which similar to to gnaw things, most of those whim plush cheep toys final about the day. But if we take an dull cosmetic H2O bottle, trip in inside an aged sock, as well as tie off the end, we right away have an unconstrained supply of giveaway dog toys!

I did this after anticipating $10 “bottle buddies” during the dog store, as well as have already left by 3 of these things in the small over the week. Removing the top as well as ring helps equivocate the choking hazard.

Share this Post[?]
        

CREATING YOUR OWN THREE LEGGED STOOL OF RETIREMENT

You might have listened a tenure “three-legged stool”, taken from a thought which a sofa needs 3 legs to say balance. (Photographers make use of tripods, no duopods or quadrapods. Even a four-legged chair will expected wobble.)

Old Three-Legged Stool of Retirement

Traditionally, a components of a three-legged sofa of early early early early retirement have been presented as Social Security benefits, Pensions, as good as Personal Savings (401k, IRA, as good as alternative assets).

stool
image around Michigan.gov

This is to a little extent upheld by interpretation from a Social Security Administration:

pie chart
image around Pbs.org

The Qualified Retirement Plans cut combines pensions, 401ks, as good as IRAs together, creation it tough to see a breakdown. The Other Assets embody income from alternative investments similar to collateral gains or dividends from taxable accounts as good as genuine estate. We comply which a entertain of all income in early early early early retirement is still from operative for a paycheck.

Shaping Your Own Retirement Legs

These have been usually averages, as good as any of us will have their own trail to retirement. If you’re formulation upon timid early, we won’t have Social Security yet. For people innate after 1960, a full early early early early retirement age for benefits is already 67, as good as design it to climb even serve a younger we are. we consider a little form of SS will still be around when I’m 70, yet who knows.

1. Flexible, reliable, part-time income
We already saw which lots of people over 65 still work. Even yet we wish monetary autonomy early, I’ve additionally come to comprehend which I’ll never stop working. Ask yourself <a href="http://www.mymoneyblog.com/archives/2008/06/the-depressing-truth-about-early-retirement.html”>what have been we really starting to do in retirement? In addition, we consider it would be stressful to glance during a large raise of income as good as consider to myself – “Crap, we goal this lasts for 30+ years!” Maintaining a part-time pursuit as good as a associated skills would assistance my cashflow, as good as additionally safeguard which we could lapse to a workforce if mess strikes.

I would wish a part-time pursuit which could yield a little socialization as good as a clarity of mending your village or assisting others. Most of my illusory jobs engage teaching, coaching, occasionally technical consulting, or something tourism-related. It can’t be 9-5, as good as I’d wish to be equates to to take months off during a time. This won’t be easy to find, so we need to begin building some-more “fun” skills as good as personal relations now.

2. Personal Savings: Accumulate thirty times annual (non-housing) expenses
Without a grant or Social Security, you’ll need to live off your own savings. If we deposit in a offset portfolio of 60% holds as good as 40% bonds, studies have estimated which we can have a “safe withdrawal rates” of about 4% per year. By being a bit some-more regressive than that, this equates to accumulating thirty times your annual expenses.

For example, if your annual losses have been $30,000, afterwards we need to save $900,000. This is a really ubiquitous order of thumb. Taxes have been tricky, yet if your income is usually $30,000 per year, we won’t be profitable really most income tax. Check out a chronological in effect taxation rate over a past twenty-five year timespan:

For anxiety in 1995, to be in a bottom 50% (safely in Q1/Q2) your practiced sum income had to be underneath $31,000. And this even includes payroll taxes of about 9%, which we won’t have to compensate upon investment income. The result: really low taxes (possibly underneath 5%) if we keep your losses down! Which brings me to…

3. A Paid Off House
I don’t consider everybody needs to own a home. However, we start to suffer most of a <a href="http://www.mymoneyblog.com/archives/2007/04/the-intangible-advantages-and-disadvantages-of-owning-a-home.html”>intangibles of owning a home, we adore my residence as good as neighborhood, as good as devise upon staying here a while. The price of this leg can change widely, from a $1,900 residence in Detroit to… where we live, so select where we wish to live carefully. ;)

Financially, owning a home protects we from destiny acceleration as good as taking flight rents. You have been still theme to skill taxes as good as upkeep costs.

In addition, not carrying to compensate lease equates to we need reduction income from savings, shortening your indispensable nest egg in #2 above. You additionally compensate reduction taxes. Withdrawing one some-more income from an IRA, for example, will meant subjecting them to your <a href="http://www.mymoneyblog.com/archives/2009/01/2009-marginal-rate-brackets-for-federal-income-tax.html”>marginal taxation rate, which could be 25% or higher. So to compensate $750 in rent, you’d have to repel $1,000. Not really efficient.

So there, we have it, my three-legged stool. Yours might be really opposite – we might similar to renting, have a pension, own investment property, or have a little alternative sources of income. we still be concerned about illness insurance, yet I’m still carefree which a little certain illness caring remodel will start which will emanate affordable illness word for people underneath 65 not lonesome by an employer organisation plan.

* You can review some-more about a final dual legs in my associated post <a href="http://www.mymoneyblog.com/archives/2009/04/a-quick-dirty-plan-to-reach-financial-freedom.html”>A Quick & Dirty Plan To Reach Financial Freedom.

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YOUR TAKE: RENT CONTROL BASED ON TENANT’S INCOME?

I saw this LA Times essay San Francisco beefs up dweller protections over during SavingFreak, as well as it nagged during me all day as both a new dweller as well as probable destiny landlord.

Here’s a discerning summary. City Supervisor Chris Daly introduced legislation to supplement a following a single some-more reside “protections”:

  • Landlords cannot lift a lease upon top of 33% of tenant’s income. An pick legislative addition shorten this to situations where a reside has a “hardship” – tangible as being unemployed, carrying salary cut, or vital upon a bound income as well as reception a price of vital increase.
  • Allows tenants to supplement roommates alternative than family to assistance compensate rent, even if categorically banned in a let contract.

My take. we consider this starting as well far, as well as we am blissful a mayor seems to determine as well as will halt it. Already 88% of let units in San Francisco have been theme to lease control, with annual lease increases being capped during an normal of 2% per year. Now a property owner contingency assign lease formed upon a person’s future income? How can they carry out that? And afterwards tenants can move in whomever they wish as a single some-more roommates, additionally formulating some-more wear as well as rip upon a place?

This is opposite from carrying a supervision yield stagnation benefits, or even “bailouts”. This is forcing people to without delay finance alternative people arbitrarily. Imagine being a cupboard builder as well as being forced to accept a 50% bonus to any patron who mislaid their pursuit recently, in any case of your own costs or monetary needs. we relate a concerns of this editorial:

We all similar to a thought of businesspeople you do a good thing when their business have been hurting, though it is not satisfactory for a open entity to force such function upon a in isolation one.

Am we blank something here? Let me know in a comments.

Share this Post[?]
        

CREATING YOUR OWN THREE LEGGED STOOL OF RETIREMENT

You might have listened a tenure “three-legged stool”, taken from a thought which a sofa needs 3 legs to say balance. (Photographers make use of tripods, no duopods or quadrapods. Even a four-legged chair will expected wobble.)

Old Three-Legged Stool of Retirement

Traditionally, a components of a three-legged sofa of early early early early retirement have been presented as Social Security benefits, Pensions, as good as Personal Savings (401k, IRA, as good as alternative assets).

stool
image around Michigan.gov

This is to a little extent upheld by interpretation from a Social Security Administration:

pie chart
image around Pbs.org

The Qualified Retirement Plans cut combines pensions, 401ks, as good as IRAs together, creation it tough to see a breakdown. The Other Assets embody income from alternative investments similar to collateral gains or dividends from taxable accounts as good as genuine estate. We comply which a entertain of all income in early early early early retirement is still from operative for a paycheck.

Shaping Your Own Retirement Legs

These have been usually averages, as good as any of us will have their own trail to retirement. If you’re formulation upon timid early, we won’t have Social Security yet. For people innate after 1960, a full early early early early retirement age for benefits is already 67, as good as design it to climb even serve a younger we are. we consider a little form of SS will still be around when I’m 70, yet who knows.

1. Flexible, reliable, part-time income
We already saw which lots of people over 65 still work. Even yet we wish monetary autonomy early, I’ve additionally come to comprehend which I’ll never stop working. Ask yourself <a href="http://www.mymoneyblog.com/archives/2008/06/the-depressing-truth-about-early-retirement.html”>what have been we really starting to do in retirement? In addition, we consider it would be stressful to glance during a large raise of income as good as consider to myself – “Crap, we goal this lasts for 30+ years!” Maintaining a part-time pursuit as good as a associated skills would assistance my cashflow, as good as additionally safeguard which we could lapse to a workforce if mess strikes.

I would wish a part-time pursuit which could yield a little socialization as good as a clarity of mending your village or assisting others. Most of my illusory jobs engage teaching, coaching, occasionally technical consulting, or something tourism-related. It can’t be 9-5, as good as I’d wish to be equates to to take months off during a time. This won’t be easy to find, so we need to begin building some-more “fun” skills as good as personal relations now.

2. Personal Savings: Accumulate thirty times annual (non-housing) expenses
Without a grant or Social Security, you’ll need to live off your own savings. If we deposit in a offset portfolio of 60% holds as good as 40% bonds, studies have estimated which we can have a “safe withdrawal rates” of about 4% per year. By being a bit some-more regressive than that, this equates to accumulating thirty times your annual expenses.

For example, if your annual losses have been $30,000, afterwards we need to save $900,000. This is a really ubiquitous order of thumb. Taxes have been tricky, yet if your income is usually $30,000 per year, we won’t be profitable really most income tax. Check out a chronological in effect taxation rate over a past twenty-five year timespan:

For anxiety in 1995, to be in a bottom 50% (safely in Q1/Q2) your practiced sum income had to be underneath $31,000. And this even includes payroll taxes of about 9%, which we won’t have to compensate upon investment income. The result: really low taxes (possibly underneath 5%) if we keep your losses down! Which brings me to…

3. A Paid Off House
I don’t consider everybody needs to own a home. However, we start to suffer most of a <a href="http://www.mymoneyblog.com/archives/2007/04/the-intangible-advantages-and-disadvantages-of-owning-a-home.html”>intangibles of owning a home, we adore my residence as good as neighborhood, as good as devise upon staying here a while. The price of this leg can change widely, from a $1,900 residence in Detroit to… where we live, so select where we wish to live carefully. ;)

Financially, owning a home protects we from destiny acceleration as good as taking flight rents. You have been still theme to skill taxes as good as upkeep costs.

In addition, not carrying to compensate lease equates to we need reduction income from savings, shortening your indispensable nest egg in #2 above. You additionally compensate reduction taxes. Withdrawing one some-more income from an IRA, for example, will meant subjecting them to your <a href="http://www.mymoneyblog.com/archives/2009/01/2009-marginal-rate-brackets-for-federal-income-tax.html”>marginal taxation rate, which could be 25% or higher. So to compensate $750 in rent, you’d have to repel $1,000. Not really efficient.

So there, we have it, my three-legged stool. Yours might be really opposite – we might similar to renting, have a pension, own investment property, or have a little alternative sources of income. we still be concerned about illness insurance, yet I’m still carefree which a little certain illness caring remodel will start which will emanate affordable illness word for people underneath 65 not lonesome by an employer organisation plan.

* You can review some-more about a final dual legs in my associated post <a href="http://www.mymoneyblog.com/archives/2009/04/a-quick-dirty-plan-to-reach-financial-freedom.html”>A Quick & Dirty Plan To Reach Financial Freedom.

Share this Post[?]
        

YOUR TAKE: RENT CONTROL BASED ON TENANT’S INCOME?

I saw this LA Times essay San Francisco beefs up dweller protections over during SavingFreak, as well as it nagged during me all day as both a new dweller as well as probable destiny landlord.

Here’s a discerning summary. City Supervisor Chris Daly introduced legislation to supplement a following a single some-more reside “protections”:

  • Landlords cannot lift a lease upon top of 33% of tenant’s income. An pick legislative addition shorten this to situations where a reside has a “hardship” – tangible as being unemployed, carrying salary cut, or vital upon a bound income as well as reception a price of vital increase.
  • Allows tenants to supplement roommates alternative than family to assistance compensate rent, even if categorically banned in a let contract.

My take. we consider this starting as well far, as well as we am blissful a mayor seems to determine as well as will halt it. Already 88% of let units in San Francisco have been theme to lease control, with annual lease increases being capped during an normal of 2% per year. Now a property owner contingency assign lease formed upon a person’s future income? How can they carry out that? And afterwards tenants can move in whomever they wish as a single some-more roommates, additionally formulating some-more wear as well as rip upon a place?

This is opposite from carrying a supervision yield stagnation benefits, or even “bailouts”. This is forcing people to without delay finance alternative people arbitrarily. Imagine being a cupboard builder as well as being forced to accept a 50% bonus to any patron who mislaid their pursuit recently, in any case of your own costs or monetary needs. we relate a concerns of this editorial:

We all similar to a thought of businesspeople you do a good thing when their business have been hurting, though it is not satisfactory for a open entity to force such function upon a in isolation one.

Am we blank something here? Let me know in a comments.

Share this Post[?]
        


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