MoneyMerc
a personal finance blog dedicated to little finance decisions with big impact
Archive | March, 2009
ETF investing pitfalls
(photo: Dave Malkoff) An Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) is similar to an index fund – they are typically not actively managed and therefore (often) have low management fees. Sometimes when you can’t find the perfect fund for your asset allocation, an ETF will fill that gap. But ETFs aren’t good for regular automatic investments, because you [...]
Continue reading...How and why to improve your credit score
18 March 2009
Last year I attended an FPA session on improving your credit score by Oksana at StrategyCredit. Here are some things I learned, many of which most people don’t know. Your credit score really just measures the chance you’ll pay someone – essentially how much of a financial risk you are. They are used for everything from [...]
Continue reading...Wisdom from the Oracle – Part 3
6 March 2009
This is the last in a series of posts covering the lessons to be learned from Warren Buffett’s Letter to Shareholders of Berkshire Hathaway. [See Part 1 (on the economy) and Part 2 (on investing)] On home ownership: Home ownership is a wonderful thing. My family and I have enjoyed my present home for 50 years, with [...]
Continue reading...Wisdom from the Oracle – Part 2 (retake!)
5 March 2009
[Apologies for the first version of this post! My editor must have accidentally posted the non-complete version ] This is the second post in a series reviewing Warren Buffett’s letter to shareholders, which I think holds good lessons for us all. [See Part 1]. On investing: When investing, pessimism is your friend, euphoria the enemy. If you take [...]
Continue reading...Wisdom from the Oracle – Part 1: a look at Warren Buffett’s annual Letter to Shareholders
2 March 2009
Warren Buffet’s famous Letter to Shareholders of Berkshire Hathaway was released this past Saturday. The letter is long, but an enjoyable read – I was cracking up during lot’s of it – Buffett can be hilarious. I’ll share some comments on parts that I think readers will find particularly interesting. There are tidbits here that speak [...]
Continue reading...
- How will you invest now?
- Worried about your finances? Know your worst case scenario
- ETF investing pitfalls
- Wisdom from the Oracle – Part 3
- Wisdom from the Oracle – Part 2 (retake!)
- Wisdom from the Oracle – Part 1: a look at Warren Buffett’s annual Letter to Shareholders
- Weekend todo list: 10 ways to improve your finances right away
- Mint.com just got sweeter: track your spending and investments too
- What’s your risk tolerance?
- Why I like Fidelity – choose the right place to put your money
- Alex: @Chris: In general, I'd would say no, since the point of your emergency fund is to keep you afloat for 3-6 months or more. If you are racking up debt...
- Chris: Alex, should you consider available credit on credit cards as a stop gap to any short fall you might have in your emergency fund?...
- Alex: I just got confirmation from a trader friend of mine saying they use the Ultrashort Financials and UltraShort Real Estate ETFs to macro-hedge their po...
- matt @ Thrive: I have to admit, the picture made me laugh and recall fond memories of heavy blocked graphics. *grins*...
- Nnamdi: On the topic of Fraud, a person can get a voluntary Alert put on their credit report. Basically in order to establish new credit, the creditor must ca...
- Jackson: A mortgage officer at Chase suggested paying off my credit card before the statement date. Using the credit card, but getting the monthly statement wi...
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Hi, I’m Alex Benke.
When was the last time you thought carefully about your finances? If you are like most 20 - 30 somethings, it's been too long. Now is the time to get your financial ass into shape. After all, it's YOUR future. Read on: I guarantee you will learn something new here that will have a big impact on your life. Copyright © 2010 MoneyMerc. Thrilling Theme from FreelanceWP
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24 March 2009
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