Comments for Money Cone

Comment on How To Invest When You Have Very Little To Invest by zimmy@moneyandpotatoes.com

zimmy@moneyandpotatoes.com — Thu, 16 May 2013 08:40:45 +0000

If you have very little money to invest and don’t want to pay $7.99 to $12.99 per stock purchase, you really should consider P2P loan investing. You can invest as little as $25.00 and the learning curve for the novice investor is far lower. I do recommend doing extensive research online and checking out many blogs who specialize in P2P lending before investing a penny.

Comment on Life is full of choices. But these money decisions are easy! by Untemplater

Untemplater — Thu, 16 May 2013 07:08:33 +0000

I’ve never been good at picking stocks. I usually invest in ETFs or funds and also get advice from a financial advisor. I also use multiple banks to take advantage of their different offerings. I’m a rather low risk investor so I like to diversify.

Comment on Life is full of choices. But these money decisions are easy! by Pauline

Pauline — Wed, 15 May 2013 08:03:49 +0000

I heard good things about Charles Schwab for $0 ATM fees banking, in the US AND abroad so that is some saving for travelers.
Whatever you choose or don’t choose, the thing is to start somewhere, with a small amount, get into investing/saving/managing your money and the rest will follow.

Comment on Life is full of choices. But these money decisions are easy! by Shilpan

Shilpan — Wed, 08 May 2013 03:07:41 +0000

Nice list of suggestions, MC! Nice to see you back in action as well. I definitely missed your wisdom.

Comment on And Let There Be Light! by Dennis

Dennis — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 20:37:51 +0000

So the cost of LED’s has come down. I started getting CFL bulbs as early as 1991, when they were much bulkier and more expensive than they are now (and were better built). During most of the 1990s and 2000s, I was virtually 100% CFL. They did run cooler, and most of the time the bulbs did last longer.

However, they were not perfect. As early as 2008, I started watching LEDs. Back then, I decided against them as they were still very expensive. Also, the light output was much lower. But that changed, as LED technology got better. So, just as the 100 watt incandescent bulbs were going out, I got my first LED.

At that time, they were the snow cone style. Which worked fine with me, since the lamp was intended to put out light into the room from above. Less wasted lumens meant more usable light where I needed it. The only down side was the weight of the bulb. Later in 2012, I got several more LEDs, and placed a few in fixtures where they were mixed CFL and LED (more than one bulb). And that was the end of the CFL for me, as the light of the LED was much better.

For those still holding out, technology has improved more. EcoSmart makes good LED’s–their bulbs now look something like a flying saucer when turned on, and work real good even if the plastic lens feels a bit cheap. Cree makes good LEDs, and their new bulb is low priced, yet looks like the old incandescent at only 9.5 watts for a 60-watt replacement. The Switch bulb works in enclosed fixtures but is very expensive.

I do not regret moving to LED’s. Especially since I learned that CFL bulbs emit styrene, phenol, and naphthalene when working properly. I also learned that they emit dirty electricity that can ruin electronics and is bad for your health, their isolated blue is bad for your health, they cannot be turned on and off frequently for additional savings, they emit UV-C light (not the UV-A and B found in sunlight), and they often fail with a fire. I also do not miss the heat generated by incandescent lights, which makes extra work for the air conditioner and can ruin fixtures. Good riddance to both, especially those death bulbs (CFL).

Comment on Companies I Won’t Do Business With by L. Millikan

L. Millikan — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 03:52:03 +0000

Bryan: You are wrong. Do you really think the Vietnam War was an honorable one? U.S. air and naval power vs. the mighty North Vietnam airforce and navy. The U.S. used South Vietnam and the North as a chemical laboratory and as an advanced-weapon testing site. I’m sorry, but the misinformed tend to try my patience. Instead of being so exercised about the ogre of “Hanoi Jane”, read, read, read. Best o’ luck to ye.

Comment on Does it pay to be a contrarian? by Tahnya Kristina

Tahnya Kristina — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 18:40:34 +0000

I think that it does sometimes pay to go against the odds. Analyzing and questioning things are what make us human. Making sure that you are spending your money wisely is always a good financial choice. Great post, I am going to share it on Dinks Finance next Friday in our roundup. Happy Easter.

Comment on How To Invest When You Have Very Little To Invest by Pam@Pennysaverblog

Pam@Pennysaverblog — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 20:56:01 +0000

Good tips on selecting a good brokerage account. I think it’s important that people feel that they can start investing even without having a lot of money. But, as you pointed out, it wouldn’t make sense for someone to pay $7 to invest $100 – instead, they need to look at more affordable investment options.

Comment on Lump Sum Investing or Dollar Cost Averaging? by Martin

Martin — Sat, 02 Mar 2013 06:50:13 +0000

I came across this theory many years ago too. Since then I do not invest “all in” but pick the stocks I want and invest in them in smaller amounts over longer period of time. I think I can get better results than all in strategy.

Comment on Vanguard’s Most Expensive Funds by Matt

Matt — Fri, 22 Feb 2013 20:55:52 +0000

Yeah, but that’s not entirely true insofar as the fund has only been around since the middle of 2011. It has outperformed VWO in that time, and I say that as someone who recently sold off some of my stake in VWO for a stake in VMMSX. While I’m generally a fan of value investing and low fees in the form of index funds, there are certain investments where I’m open to the benefits of active management. Specifically with emerging markets where there’s such a wide range of options and such volatility, a manager can shift funds around much more strategically. Particularly with some of the BRIC countries slowing down a bit, I like having an active manager to take advantage of that volatility–while also taking advantage of the real emerging markets right now (Thailand, the Phillipines, etc.) that tend to be underrepresented in the index. If the fund underperforms I can always move on from it, but I think this is one of the few actively managed funds where there’s a greater chance of outperforming the index. The primary Vanguard funds that seem to be able to outperform the index are Windsor II, Equity Income, the Wellington, and the Wellesley funds. There are several others worth taking a look at too. Otherwise I’m all about low fee indexed funds. When people like Bogle and Buffet talk, your best bet is generally to take heed of what they have to say.