From the category archives:

Misc.

Watch Out For Economic Stimulus Scams

March 4, 2009

If you use Facebook, or many other high-traffic sites, you may have noticed advertisements for “grant kits” which promise to give you the inside track on getting money from the government.
The scam is this: you purchase the kit for the cost of shipping, then if you don’t return it within 14 days; you start getting [...]

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Writing Personal Finance Essays Earns Student $3,000!

February 18, 2009

Jonathan Schultz, an 18 year old senior at St. Mary High School in Dell Rapids, South Dakota, won a $3,000 prize for a series of essays he wrote for a financial literacy contest.
Contestants were required to write essays that involved creating financial independence by understanding investing principles.
Shultz’s teacher received a $300 prize of [...]

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WT|Direct Offers $250 “Winter Bonus” On Savings Account

December 22, 2008

WT|Direct (the online division of Wilmington Trust) is offering a “winter bonus” of up to $250.
Here are the average balance bonus tiers:

$50,000 = $250 bonus
$40,000 = $200 bonus
$30,000 = $150 bonus
$20,000 = $100 bonus
$10,000 = $50 bonus

Here are the terms:

Open a new account — use promotion code “WTG3DNC”

Link an existing bank account to your new [...]

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Saw Your Own Lumber

November 25, 2008

Portable saw mill.  (via Cool Tools)

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Bailouts by the Federal Government Have a Long Precedent

September 20, 2008

What a week!
We a truly living in interesting (financial) times.
The US Treasury and The Federal Reserve Bank took massive actions this week in order to stabilize the US financial system. Congress is expected to pass a bill next week which would allow for further, more radical intervention.
Interestingly enough, this is not without precedent. [...]

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Think You Are A Trader? IRS Says Think Again.

September 3, 2008

Even if you make hundreds of trades per year, the IRS may not consider you a “trader” for tax purposes.
This is according to an article in today’s Wall Street Journal titled: “Think You’re A Trader? IRS May Disagree.”
It details a Florida couple who formed a trading company and performed over 660 trades over a [...]

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Colleges Can’t Keep Up With Demand For On Campus Housing

July 11, 2008

Photo by Dimitry B
Colleges across the country are experiencing shortages in on campus housing, according to this article on insidehighered.com. Large numbers of upperclassmen – who would traditionally seek off campus housing – are attempting to find an on campus residence, at the same time as “larger-than-average freshman classes” are entering school.
Administrators see this [...]

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Carpooling Tips

April 20, 2008

I’m about to start back to school for a graduate program that will have me traveling about 400 miles – round trip – per week. Since my daily work commute is about two miles, I haven’t really felt the higher gasoline prices as much as others that have to fill up on a regular [...]

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Best Super Bowl Pool Squares

January 22, 2008

It’s that time of year again, when the the super bowl “football squares” sheet begins to be passed around the office.  While I don’t think participating is a good financial decision, it is interesting to know optimal strategy.
In case you are not familiar with the typical office football pool, here is a brief introduction from [...]

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