One of the main challenges of managing an investment portfolio is organization. If you’re an average investor you likely won’t have just one 401(k) account. You’ll have a collection of accounts from prior jobs. Maybe you’ll also have invested in an IRA along the way. Perhaps a personal investment account has been thrown in there […]
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Top Secret
Tonight I introduce you to my top-secret portfolio. To read this is to understand my values. I am laying bare my innermost investment secrets. And without further ado: Overall Makeup Total stocks 72%. (68.5%– 75.5%) Domestic stocks 43%. (40.5%– 45.5%) International stocks 29%. (26.5% – 31.5%) Total bonds 28%. (25.5% […]
Plain Vanilla
I’ve used up a fair bit of bandwidth on this blog discussing the bluebird card and loading Visa gift cards onto it at Walmart. This is the bread and butter of manufactured spend for me. But this is not a Portland, Oregon specific Blog. And this sequence might not be the the most convenient route […]
Fossil Fuel
Short post tonight: I’ve been burning the midnight oil this week doing late cases at the hospital. But the show must go on…. One of the quirks about using miles is the all-important fuel surcharge. This is one of the most crucial factors in determining the absolute value of any specific airline currency. And one […]
Raw Goods
The obvious next topic to turn to in discussing early retirement and investment theory is how to design a well balanced portfolio that will deliver us to financial independence at a ripe young (to middle) age. We’ve now covered the main building blocks for success: The crucial importance of low-cost passively managed funds, the only […]
The Icky Side Of Miles
The miles game is a wondrous thing. Travel for nearly free, by leveraging (dangerous/predatory) credit card sign up bonuses, and improve your credit score in the bargain… You had me at “free travel.” But full disclosure: it’s not all sunshine and lollipops. Nothing is without cost. One of the most distasteful aspects of this […]
Oxymoronic Commandments
If early retirement is a personal goal, then shopping probably can’t be your main hobby. If the idea is to whittle away at that which is unimportant, in order to focus on that which is important, then buying a bunch of stuff that you don’t need for the sake of fleeting moments of entertainment, really […]
Do I Bore You With My Investment Talk?
I realize that just because investing is deeply interesting to me, doesn’t mean that it’s interesting to everyone else. Some people read investment theory books for breakfast lunch and dinner (i.e. me). But others’ eyes roll back at the mere mention of “compound interest.” Allocation? Don’t talk to me about allocation. I would argue , […]
Book Smarts
The Miles Game is really a three step endeavor. Step one: apply for a bunch of credit cards and accrue a bunch of miles. Step two: apply manufactured spending techniques to satisfy miles bonus spending requirements for each credit card. Step three: book awards to exotic locations with your accrued miles. We’ve already talked about […]
Keeping Track Of Credit Cards
One issue that comes up when you start churning credit cards is how to keep track of them all. What do you need to keep track of? 1. When to pay the bills to avoid late fees. 2. Your progress towards meeting all of your minimum spend requirements in order to get your sign-up bonus. […]
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