Carlos Portocarrero's blog

3 Ways to Save Money on Maternity Dresses

Buying maternity clothes is expensive enough, but buying a fancy dress for a special event — when you're pregnant — is even more expensive. Here are three ways to ge

Top 5 ETF Tips

ETFs are part stock, part mutual fund — so that means you need to treat them a little differently than if you owned just one of the two. Here are five tips to help you nav

Amazing AAA Discounts

AAA membership isn't just for getting your flat fixed or getting towed. Learn about the hundreds of additional discounts that every AAA member has.

Why ETFs Suck

By now you've probably heard about ETFs and how awesome they are. Well for the average investor, that's a bunch of crap. ETFs are a great product for traders, but don't let the

Cheap Hotel Rates with Hotwire

Traveling is an incredible experience, but it's not cheap. Finding a cheap hotel room that doesn't look or feel cheap feels like an impossible task. But it can be done if you're

Should You Invest in Goldman Sachs (GS)?

Goldman Sachs is in hot water right now, so investing in the company may seem like a risky proposition. And it certainly is, but it may also be a fantastic opportunity.

IKEA Survival Guide

IKEA is a great place to buy furniture with style that doesn't cost a ton of money. But the store is notorious for sucking away hours of your time and patience. Here are five ha

5 Money Ratios to Live By

These five money ratios answer questions about spending on housing, saving, engagement rings, retirement, and investing.

Mogi's Extended Vehicle Protection: Is it Worth It?

Mogi offers insurance on things like car parts, service, and maintenance. Would you pay a monthly fee to cover any problem that came up with your car? Sure, it would give you some

Warren Buffett's Investment Advice: Why It's So Hard to Follow

Warren Buffett's style of investing isn't just about picking the right stocks, it's about having the intestinal fortitude to overcome widespread panic . Check out how one of his mo

The Legal Way to Avoid Getting Taxed on Your Investments

Investing in stocks that pay dividends doesn't mean you have to worry about the government taking a huge bite out of your gains. There are perfectly legal ways to invest in dividen

Getting Fired? Ask One Question to Get Free Money

Getting fired is never easy. But being prepared can be the difference between walking out of HR's office with nothing and getting a nice chunk of money to help you in the future. H

The First Time Home Buyer Credit: How Big of a Deal Is It?

The first-time home buyer's credit has been hailed as one of the main drivers of the real estate market, but how big of a deal is it really?

A One-Step Guide to a Better Job and More Money

Everyone wants job security these days, but how about a raise or a better-paying job? There are lots of small things you can do to make this happen, but there's also one simple thi

Buy-and-Hold Investing: 4 Ways to Make It More Effective

The media is saying buy and hold is dead thanks to some fuzzy math and misinterpretation of what "long term" means. But here are four strategies that can turn buy and hold from a b

TiVo for the Web: Content Without the Ads

A lot of websites out there haven't given a lot of thought to how their site looks and reads. Or they have and they just don't care. Here is a tool that lets you "fast forward" pas

Gift-Giving Ideas That Can Change Lives

Giving a gift that doesn't suck is not easy. Instead of focusing on the same old gift ideas, how about trying something that has the potential to change the person's life? It can b

Is MagicJack a Scam?

MagicJack is a device that claims to offer unlimited local and long distance calling for just $20/year. Sounds too good to be true, doesn't it? I decided to dig around for myself.

Make Easy Money and Learn a Thing or Two About Website Design

Finding new ways to make some extra cash are a dime a dozen. But how many of them are interesting and teach you something useful at the same time? Here is one way to make some extr

Do What You Love: Idealistic Nonsense Or Good Advice?

"Do what you love" has always been the cheesiest advice you can give a young person, but can it really be solid advice? In anything you do, there's the struggle of between paying t