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Free Social Security Tool for Optimal Benefit Claiming Strategy

Update: The free Open Social Security tool has been updated to include a new "heat map" visualization that illustrates the relative values of claiming Social Security at different ages. Details here. Here is a sample graph for a couple with … [Read the rest]

3 Months of SiriusXM Streaming + Echo Dot For $1

Here is a SiriusXM promotion link where you can sign up for a free 3-month trial of either their Essential or Premium streaming tiers (includes Howard Stern) and also get an Amazon Echo Dot (3rd Gen) smart speaker for only $1. After signing up, … [Read the rest]

Bask Bank Review: Earn American Airlines Miles As Interest (5,000 Mile Referral Bonus)

Updated with my own experience and new referral bonus. Bask Bank is a FDIC-insured savings account that pays you American Airlines (AA) miles instead of cash interest. Every $1 earns 1 mile a year. For example, $1,000 kept for a year would earn … [Read the rest]

Best Interest Rates on Cash – July 2020

The Fed rate is still at zero, which has bought us back to the time when anything above 2% APY is newsworthy (and there ain't much news). The only reason to pay attention is that being willing to switch bank accounts can still beat out Treasury … [Read the rest]

The Money Hamster Wheel, Part 2: Multiple Solutions, Not Just More Money

In Part 1: Identifying the Problem, I shared Lawrence Yeo's unique take on money and the hamster wheel metaphor, where we just keep spinning and can't get off. Since then, I have thought more about how best to slow things down by instead attacking … [Read the rest]

The Money Hamster Wheel, Part 1: Identifying The Problem

I started looking into financial independence because I simply couldn't imagine doing what I was doing every weekday at that time for another 30 or 40 years. Some people know exactly what they want to spend their life doing, and it also pays the … [Read the rest]

AmEx Shop Small Offer: $5 off $10+ At Small Businesses (Up to $50 Savings Total)

If you have any American Express credit cards, check your "Amex Offers" in either your online account or smartphone app. Most people are seeing the offer "Spend $10+, get $5 back, up to 10 times when you Shop Small by 9/20/20". Get a $5 … [Read the rest]

Economics of Shared Living: How Much Money Do You Save With Roommates?

For most households, the biggest expense is housing. A time-tested way to reduce your housing costs is to share a place with others, but usually we think of a bigger house as the result of a bigger nuclear family. However, even young professional … [Read the rest]

Amazon: $20 Promo Credit after $50+ Purchase Using American Express

Here is a new Amazon/AmEx promotion that promises "$20 off at Amazon after you make a single purchase of $50 or more using your American Express card". However, the promotion has a lot of fine print to note: You must purchase products "sold … [Read the rest]

Planned vs. Perceived Obsolescence

The Story of Stuff (embedded below) is a short animated film about the lifecycle of material goods. Even though it was released over 10 years ago, the overall message of anti-consumerism and sustainability still applies to our current world. … [Read the rest]

Bank of America Travel Rewards Credit Card Review: Up to 2.62% Back on Travel and Dining with Preferred Rewards

Update February 2021: The Bank of America Travel Rewards Credit Card has expanded the eligible categories of spending against which you can get their 1.5% to 2.62% back from only Travel purchases to include both Travel and Dining (including … [Read the rest]

Forrager Podcast: Start Your Own Home-Based Food Business

If you enjoy listening to podcasts about entrepreneurial stories on a smaller scale (i.e. not tech unicorns), I recommend the Forrager Podcast about cottage food businesses, where people sell food made in their home kitchens (as opposed to a … [Read the rest]