Five Cent Nickel

Written by a man who has been meticulously recording his finances since 1997 (stored in Quicken), Five Cent Nickel is one of the oldest and most respected blogs around. This blog often provides great commentary on—and summaries of—useful financial tips featured by other publications. If you’re too lazy to read every little money article out there, just stop by Five Cent Nickel and get the cream of the crop.

Latest Posts from Five Cent Nickel (page 2)

5 Alternatives to High Yield Online Savings Accounts

Savings account interest rates have been plummeting. Here are five of the best alternatives to a savings account to make the most of your money. Putting your money away in a high yield savings account is one of the smartest and safest moves you can make. The first $250,000 is insured per account holder and at 2% interest, the money will grow over time. […]

What Is Vesting and Why Should You Care?

Vesting refers to the act of becoming fully entitled in an employer’s retirement fund, pension plan, stock options, or other related assets. The vested assets that you have can never be taken away from you. Money that has not vested, however, is lost when you leave the company. […]

Review of Republic Wireless

Republic Wireless claims to offer excellent phones and service at rock bottom prices. In this Republic Wireless review, we put these claims to the test. Mobile devices were supposed to free us from the tethers of landlines. Unfortunately, many wireless plans can leave us tethered to expensive contracts and oppressive terms. […]

The Best Small Business Credit Cards of 2018

A terrific way to earn some extra cash when running a business is by using the right business credit card. Depending on how much your business spends, the potential savings could be thousands of dollars. Small business credit cards are valuable when used properly. In addition to earning rewards, you can use them to track spending and manage employee cards. […]

The Best Gas Credit Cards of 2018

Don’t look now, but gas prices are slowly on the rise. Admittedly, the last few years have been really nice from a gas price perspective.  Most of the country is paying in the low $2 range for their gas. In some locations, we’re talking a buck ninety. Low gas prices reduce the benefits of the best gas credit cards.  The lower cost of gas reduces your savings. […]

7 Ways to Evaluate the Best Online Savings Accounts

I’m a huge fan on online banking. In fact, I opened our first online savings account with ING Direct (now Capital One 360) over ten years ago, and I haven’t looked back since. Sure, I still have a local brick and mortar bank for convenience, but I keep the vast majority of our savings online. Why? […]

How To Tell if a Credit Card Annual Fee is Worth It

The best credit cards often come with annual fees. From $59 to $450, these hefty fees can set you back a pretty penny. Here are six questions to ask to determine if a credit card annual fee is worth it. Credit cards that come with annual fees usually dangle some pretty impressive perks in front of applicants. […]

The Fine Art of ‘Reverse Budgeting’

Budgeting is an incredibly popular topic among the financially savvy. And yet some of the most financially-savvy people I know don’t actually budget. With zero based budgeting, there’s no longer any excuse to avoid a budget. When you think about a budget, what do you think of? You might think of having umpteen different categories to divide all of your expenses among. […]

5 Early Retirement Challenges You MUST Be Prepared For

Early retirement is a dream for many. While saving enough to accomplish this goal is challenging, it’s just the beginning. Here are five challenges you must include in your early retirement planning. It seems as if everyone these days is planning for early retirement – or at least planning to plan for early retirement. Saving and investing a lot of money is the obvious starting point. […]

Is Travel Insurance Worth the Cost?

Every time you book a costly trip you’re faced with this question: Is travel insurance worth it? We help you answer this question. We also show you how you can get travel insurance for free. If you’ve booked a vacation for your family lately or sent your kid off on a school-sponsored field trip, you’ve probably considered trip cancellation insurance. […]