I have had Netspend card since 2004 and I have never had any problems with it. I have deposited over 6000.00 at a time on it and never once have had a problem getting my money off of it. It is so easy for me to have a netspend account then one through the bank. And as you all complain about the fees, what company these days doesnst charge you some type of fee. Everyone is money hungry these days. For the people receiving thses cards in the mail, just throw it away. They don't have any of your personal information. Just you name and address and possiblely you phone number and that's only because someone else sold your information. People there is so much going on in the world today receiving a none activated pre paid debit card isn't gonna hurt you... netspend your great and thank you for everything!
Xin, I just love your articles! I was trying to work out the math just the other day on my Costco membership. I absolutely love their return policy, though. But since I am making most things from scratch now, there are very few things that really save me money. And after I add in the membership cost, I wonder if it really makes sense. I'm going to let my membership lapse next time and see how I fare. Thanks!
We live in a suburb of a major metro area. I get paid once a month so we make a monthly trek to the warehouse store and the grocery store and Walmart/Target to stockup on the basics. We do buy some meat at the warehouse store and we keep our pantry stocked so we have all of the basics. Then during the month, my husband may stop at the grocery store two or three times a week to pick up the few fresh ingredients he needs to make dinner, depending on what's available and cheap and what he feels like making. Since we started this practice we've seen our grocery bills go down. It's also made it easier for my husband to come up with dinners, knowing he can go pick something up at the store if he's inspired in a particular way and we don't have the ingredients. My husband is retired and has physical therapy daily so he stops at the grocery store on his way home. This wouldn't work for everyone, but it does for us.
@Katie - Yes, they do use profile pictures. And part of my frustration with this process stems from the fact that people often get tagged in pictures that aren't even of themselves!
@Christine - I've come close to failing the test a number of times...how stressful! However the last time Facebook didn't recognize me and made me jump through security hoops, I was given the option to instead answer my personal security question, which was much more civilized! Fingers crossed that this is a new option that is available to everybody...
Playing with my dog helps me take a break from pressing issues and just enjoy the present. Once I started taking her to dog parks I discovered you can enjoy this stress-reliever whether you own a dog or not. You don't need a dog to come to the dog park to chat, watch the dogs play, or just pet some furry friends. Go with a friend or a canine babysitting charge- it's like visiting a petting zoo!
"Is Real Estate A Good Investment?" That's like asking, "Is clear liquid OK to drink?"
Assuming that you're talking about single-family homes, you're not looking at opportunity cost. Rent still comes with a -100% rate of return, regardless of market conditions.
If there was a practicable, actionable piece of advice or information in this post, I'm too dumb to glean it.
I listen to music and walk when I'm stressed. It's a great way to relax, and I find it also helps if it's in the dark. But I'm kind of strange like that :)
Several museums, zoos, and aquariums actually offer reciprocal membership agreements where you can buy one membership and visit hundreds of other locations for free.
I am always amazed when my friends tell me they make up the membership cost in diapers.
Kirkland size 3 diapers are 212 diapers for $48.99. (23 cents each diaper)
Amazon sells Luvs size 3 diapers, 204 for $35. (17 cents each diaper.) FREE SHIPPING and no membership fee necessary. I don't even have to drive to the store to get them...
Costco isn't for me-- I would fay way too much stuff to waste my money on.
Well as to wether its fixed read this and decide.
i was watching 2 auctions both for high end computers, i was using 2 computers myself to watch both auctions, after 10 minutes both auctions were identical despite early bids from people who didnt stay longer than 10-12 bids each bid was being repeated on both auctions and both ended with the same amount and crucially each lineup was identical in that the final 10 bidders had the same ranking and the same amount bid in each auction. When i tried to bid it wasnt accepted, but, the spooky thing was that each auction had the same auction ID number. The auctions finished at 3.05am when not a lot of people are active and i was thinking that due to the possibility of not realising a profit on each item would the company end the auction early by using a shill bid and reject outsiders bids so they could end it early, keeping the items and reauctioning them at a time where they would make profit?
"...but I think they're acting out of a desire to mitigate the incredible amounts of waste in our current society."
Seriously? They do so for purely altruistic reasons? I have a bridge to sell you if you believe that nonsense.
And I agree with the "get a job" sentiment. If you're seriously considering feeding your children out of a dumpster, you have no business being a parent.
Aaaah .... have you considered that you put in only 20% of the home price? So the return on YOUR investment (i.e. in cash) is considerably MORE than 2.2%?
Also, I would argue that most people are better at picking which real-estate will grow above average (i.e. merely investing in most metro areas and avoiding most rural areas will take you above the 2.2% average that you quote) than in picking which stocks will grow.
With all due respect to this learned college "coordinator", this is a very poorly written, poorly contemplated article. On one hand, you seek to demonstrate in your article that stocks, bonds and real estate are poor, insufficient or losing investments, yet on the other hand you conclude that "diversifying your personal portfolio and including a healthy blend of stocks, bonds, and real estate is the best way to go." Your premises do not lead to your conclusion. And frankly, your conclusion that people need to diversify is not very original.
Moreover, the article fails to give "real estate" investment a fair shake. Generally speaking when "investors" invest in real estate, they are either flipping that property or renting out that property. Most people would not consider their residence as an "investment" per se, but rather it is a strategic decision between renting vs buying.
It is worth noting that if an investor did indeed purchase the house at the beginning of the millennium for $160,000, sells that same house now for 200,000 and only breaks even on the value of the house (considering inflation, etc), the investor would still walk away with 10 years of rental income (minus various costs, vacancies, etc)! Or alternatively, as the article suggests, if the investor financed the house, then he will have only contributed $32,000 as a down payment on the house (20% of purchase price), would likely have had a renter covering most if not all of the mortgage costs on the house for 10 years, and then sell it for $200,000. After paying off the remaining mortgage balance, the investor still walks away with a nice return on his initial $32,000 investment.
And the beautiful thing about real estate is that if you can afford to purchase the property in the first place (either outright or financed) you generally have the freedom to sell that property at whatever time it makes sense to do so. So, if the investor was so inclined, he could have pocketed even more profit if he elected to sell at the high points in the housing market between 2004-2006. Otherwise, he could simply wait a few more years until a more opportune time, all the while he is collecting rent and having someone else pay the mortgage for him.
Real estate can obviously be a good investment. But like any investment, timing is everything. Don't just think that because you invest in something it should always go up in value.
There is an issue that nobody has touched on yet, and that is what these vehicles are comprised of. It's disingenuous for anyone giving advice to say all ETF's are the same, and all mutual funds are the same. A precious metals ETF for example should be treated very differently in a portfolio than a Utilities ETF. That being said, the most important thing is KNOWING WHAT YOU OWN! If you buy an ETF or a Mutual Fund, your job as the consumer is to know what stocks are represented. If you don't know what's in it, how can you know it's right for you? I am a hedge fund trader myself and I don't like mutual funds and I really don't like ETF's. You should all take your research to the next level and find out what you own; what's backing the ETF symbol that is sitting nice and neat in your portfolio.
I have had Netspend card since 2004 and I have never had any problems with it. I have deposited over 6000.00 at a time on it and never once have had a problem getting my money off of it. It is so easy for me to have a netspend account then one through the bank. And as you all complain about the fees, what company these days doesnst charge you some type of fee. Everyone is money hungry these days. For the people receiving thses cards in the mail, just throw it away. They don't have any of your personal information. Just you name and address and possiblely you phone number and that's only because someone else sold your information. People there is so much going on in the world today receiving a none activated pre paid debit card isn't gonna hurt you... netspend your great and thank you for everything!
This is a good article but, in my day this was called trying to keep up with the Jone's . Thanks for sharing . http://hubpages.com/hub/Frugal-Granny
what is a good website that you can trust to start a roth ira?
You can get movies free from Redbox by using their codes: http://www.insideredbox.com/redbox-codes/
You can only use a code once (they have many listed) and this isn't avialable when reserving online.
where did you sell your hair, how much did you get per inch, and what method of payment did you accept?
Xin, I just love your articles! I was trying to work out the math just the other day on my Costco membership. I absolutely love their return policy, though. But since I am making most things from scratch now, there are very few things that really save me money. And after I add in the membership cost, I wonder if it really makes sense. I'm going to let my membership lapse next time and see how I fare. Thanks!
I had always figured that some of these "start-up stories" were either myths or generated by marketing experts.
Nice to know that at least one of them is true.
We live in a suburb of a major metro area. I get paid once a month so we make a monthly trek to the warehouse store and the grocery store and Walmart/Target to stockup on the basics. We do buy some meat at the warehouse store and we keep our pantry stocked so we have all of the basics. Then during the month, my husband may stop at the grocery store two or three times a week to pick up the few fresh ingredients he needs to make dinner, depending on what's available and cheap and what he feels like making. Since we started this practice we've seen our grocery bills go down. It's also made it easier for my husband to come up with dinners, knowing he can go pick something up at the store if he's inspired in a particular way and we don't have the ingredients. My husband is retired and has physical therapy daily so he stops at the grocery store on his way home. This wouldn't work for everyone, but it does for us.
@Katie - Yes, they do use profile pictures. And part of my frustration with this process stems from the fact that people often get tagged in pictures that aren't even of themselves!
@Christine - I've come close to failing the test a number of times...how stressful! However the last time Facebook didn't recognize me and made me jump through security hoops, I was given the option to instead answer my personal security question, which was much more civilized! Fingers crossed that this is a new option that is available to everybody...
in regards to the email NO COMPANY will send a request like that in an email it is a scam un connected to the company
Playing with my dog helps me take a break from pressing issues and just enjoy the present. Once I started taking her to dog parks I discovered you can enjoy this stress-reliever whether you own a dog or not. You don't need a dog to come to the dog park to chat, watch the dogs play, or just pet some furry friends. Go with a friend or a canine babysitting charge- it's like visiting a petting zoo!
I'm supposed to avoid corn products....do you know if this works without the corn flour or is that essential to the recipe?
Heather
HEATHERLBRANDT (AT) FRONTIER (DOT) COM
"Is Real Estate A Good Investment?" That's like asking, "Is clear liquid OK to drink?"
Assuming that you're talking about single-family homes, you're not looking at opportunity cost. Rent still comes with a -100% rate of return, regardless of market conditions.
If there was a practicable, actionable piece of advice or information in this post, I'm too dumb to glean it.
I listen to music and walk when I'm stressed. It's a great way to relax, and I find it also helps if it's in the dark. But I'm kind of strange like that :)
Long walks outside, going to the library and reading some fun books and browsing the shelves, people watching, and swinging on the swingset!
Several museums, zoos, and aquariums actually offer reciprocal membership agreements where you can buy one membership and visit hundreds of other locations for free.
I am always amazed when my friends tell me they make up the membership cost in diapers.
Kirkland size 3 diapers are 212 diapers for $48.99. (23 cents each diaper)
Amazon sells Luvs size 3 diapers, 204 for $35. (17 cents each diaper.) FREE SHIPPING and no membership fee necessary. I don't even have to drive to the store to get them...
Costco isn't for me-- I would fay way too much stuff to waste my money on.
I agree JOE23521. Netflix actually costs money but you can save a lot of many depending on how much you use it.
Well as to wether its fixed read this and decide.
i was watching 2 auctions both for high end computers, i was using 2 computers myself to watch both auctions, after 10 minutes both auctions were identical despite early bids from people who didnt stay longer than 10-12 bids each bid was being repeated on both auctions and both ended with the same amount and crucially each lineup was identical in that the final 10 bidders had the same ranking and the same amount bid in each auction. When i tried to bid it wasnt accepted, but, the spooky thing was that each auction had the same auction ID number. The auctions finished at 3.05am when not a lot of people are active and i was thinking that due to the possibility of not realising a profit on each item would the company end the auction early by using a shill bid and reject outsiders bids so they could end it early, keeping the items and reauctioning them at a time where they would make profit?
"...but I think they're acting out of a desire to mitigate the incredible amounts of waste in our current society."
Seriously? They do so for purely altruistic reasons? I have a bridge to sell you if you believe that nonsense.
And I agree with the "get a job" sentiment. If you're seriously considering feeding your children out of a dumpster, you have no business being a parent.
Aaaah .... have you considered that you put in only 20% of the home price? So the return on YOUR investment (i.e. in cash) is considerably MORE than 2.2%?
Also, I would argue that most people are better at picking which real-estate will grow above average (i.e. merely investing in most metro areas and avoiding most rural areas will take you above the 2.2% average that you quote) than in picking which stocks will grow.
With all due respect to this learned college "coordinator", this is a very poorly written, poorly contemplated article. On one hand, you seek to demonstrate in your article that stocks, bonds and real estate are poor, insufficient or losing investments, yet on the other hand you conclude that "diversifying your personal portfolio and including a healthy blend of stocks, bonds, and real estate is the best way to go." Your premises do not lead to your conclusion. And frankly, your conclusion that people need to diversify is not very original.
Moreover, the article fails to give "real estate" investment a fair shake. Generally speaking when "investors" invest in real estate, they are either flipping that property or renting out that property. Most people would not consider their residence as an "investment" per se, but rather it is a strategic decision between renting vs buying.
It is worth noting that if an investor did indeed purchase the house at the beginning of the millennium for $160,000, sells that same house now for 200,000 and only breaks even on the value of the house (considering inflation, etc), the investor would still walk away with 10 years of rental income (minus various costs, vacancies, etc)! Or alternatively, as the article suggests, if the investor financed the house, then he will have only contributed $32,000 as a down payment on the house (20% of purchase price), would likely have had a renter covering most if not all of the mortgage costs on the house for 10 years, and then sell it for $200,000. After paying off the remaining mortgage balance, the investor still walks away with a nice return on his initial $32,000 investment.
And the beautiful thing about real estate is that if you can afford to purchase the property in the first place (either outright or financed) you generally have the freedom to sell that property at whatever time it makes sense to do so. So, if the investor was so inclined, he could have pocketed even more profit if he elected to sell at the high points in the housing market between 2004-2006. Otherwise, he could simply wait a few more years until a more opportune time, all the while he is collecting rent and having someone else pay the mortgage for him.
Real estate can obviously be a good investment. But like any investment, timing is everything. Don't just think that because you invest in something it should always go up in value.
There is an issue that nobody has touched on yet, and that is what these vehicles are comprised of. It's disingenuous for anyone giving advice to say all ETF's are the same, and all mutual funds are the same. A precious metals ETF for example should be treated very differently in a portfolio than a Utilities ETF. That being said, the most important thing is KNOWING WHAT YOU OWN! If you buy an ETF or a Mutual Fund, your job as the consumer is to know what stocks are represented. If you don't know what's in it, how can you know it's right for you? I am a hedge fund trader myself and I don't like mutual funds and I really don't like ETF's. You should all take your research to the next level and find out what you own; what's backing the ETF symbol that is sitting nice and neat in your portfolio.