Tip'd

A community for financial news, ideas, and tips

FinancialFellow / Submitted

$15,000 Homebuyer Tax Credit Passed by Senate

The U.S. Senate just voted to authorize a $15,000 tax credit for homebuyers of new, or existing, residences. (The tax credit is equal to 10% of the home’s value up to $150,000.) I can’t begin to emphasize what a huge deal this is. For many read more »
comments Be the first to comment!   addto Save & Share   Topple Spam? Topple this!

The Credit Card with a $495 Annual Fee

Visa recently launched its exclusive Black Card. The credit card has an annual fee of $495. The obvious question is, “What do I get for $495?” read more »
comments Be the first to comment!   addto Save & Share   Topple Spam? Topple this!

High Rise Living: The Views Rock but the Bills Blow

I live on an upper floor of a high rise condo building in Chicago. High rise living provides its residents with security and amenities without many of the hassles associated with a house. Given the fact that there is only one entrance to my unit, read more »
comments Be the first to comment!   addto Save & Share   Topple Spam? Topple this!

Zecco Revising Their $0 Stock Trade Policy

Earlier this month I authored a review of Zecco Online Trading. Today, Zecco announced two key changes to their $0 online stock trade policy:
1) Zecco will be raising the minimum level of assets needed to earn 10 free trades per month to $25,000. read more »
comments Be the first to comment!   addto Save & Share   Topple Spam? Topple this!

Employee Stock Purchase Plans: Great Investments

I work for a publicly traded company that offers its employees the option of buying its stock at a 15% discount. I take full advantage of this program. Why? It allows me to gross an extra 2-3% a year on top of my salary with extremely minimal r read more »
comments Be the first to comment!   addto Save & Share   Topple Spam? Topple this!

How to Pick a Financial Adviser or Planner

Think about that for a second… anyone can call himself (or herself) a financial planner.
Given that, and the alphabet soup of certifications and titles, how in the world is someone like your or me supposed to effectively sift through the bums to read more »
comments Be the first to comment!   addto Save & Share   Topple Spam? Topple this!

Is Lifelock Worth the Cost?

A couple years ago I signed up for identity theft protection with Lifelock. It costs $9 a month. (The normal price is $10/month but I used a promo [...] read more »
comments Be the first to comment!   addto Save & Share   Topple Spam? Topple this!

U.S. Stocks vs. Foreign Stocks

Recently I received an email from Financial Fellow subscriber, Tim, looking to discuss and debate the appropriate allocation mix between domestic and[...] read more »
comments 2 Comments   addto Save & Share   Topple Spam? Topple this!

Poll: Do You Donate to Your Alma Mater?

Every so often I get letters from my alma mater soliciting me for a donation. I never send them anything. Apparently I’m not alone. Their alumni g[...] read more »
comments 7 Comments   addto Save & Share   Topple Spam? Topple this!

Get Ready to Pay Sales Tax for Online Purchases

Recently Amazon announced their best year ever despite other retailers reporting one of their worst holiday seasons in years. How did Amazon accompl[...] read more »
comments 2 Comments   addto Save & Share   Topple Spam? Topple this!

Investing in Real Estate Tax Liens 101

Over my holiday vacation I decided to educate myself on an investment that I previously knew little about. After skimming through a variety of diff[...] read more »
comments Be the first to comment!   addto Save & Share   Topple Spam? Topple this!

Names of Banks Near Collapse

Recently I came across an article on The LRC Blog that provided a list of U.S. Banks that are near collapse. The article lists over 8,000 U.S. Banks[...] read more »
comments Be the first to comment!   addto Save & Share   Topple Spam? Topple this!

The Top 10 Distinctions Between Millionaires and the Middle Class

…..I just finished reading Keith Cameron Smith’s “The Top 10 Distinctions Between Millionaires and the Middle Class”. It’s a quick read – 112 small [...] read more »
comments Be the first to comment!   addto Save & Share   Topple Spam? Topple this!

BORDERS OFFERING 75% OFF: IS THIS THE BEGINNING OF THE END?

Over the last month I’ve read a couple articles stating that Borders is in financial trouble. Today, I received an email promotion from Borders with[...] read more »
comments Be the first to comment!   addto Save & Share   Topple Spam? Topple this!

My Biggest Financial Blunders

Throughout the course of my adult life I’ve made smart financial decisions. On occasion, though, I’ve made some mistakes. With that in mind here ar[...] read more »
comments Be the first to comment!   addto Save & Share   Topple Spam? Topple this!