tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-159342012008-07-03T23:47:37.940-04:002millionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17168782327023590235noreply@blogger.comBlogger206125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15934201.post-1160232649353502452006-10-07T10:46:00.000-04:002006-10-10T19:51:03.576-04:00

2millionblog has offically moved to www.2millionblog.com. All the archives from this site have been transferred to the new site as well. Please update your bookmarks and grab this RSS Feed for 2millionblog.com to get the latest updates!

2millionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17168782327023590235noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15934201.post-1158667915895720902006-09-19T08:11:00.000-04:002006-09-19T08:11:56.303-04:00

Back in early 2006 when I reviewed the returns from my net worth in 2005 I realized I needed to spend some time looking at my asset allocation. Here is what my asset allocation looked like in March: I took a look at my total asset allocation in March, but dropped the ball and didn't dig any further. Unfortuntely, my asset allocation has already changed enough that I should start over. Here is

2millionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17168782327023590235noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15934201.post-1158337009357989332006-09-15T12:16:00.000-04:002006-09-15T12:16:55.506-04:00

Well, I knew it couldn't last forever. My fiancée has finally turned full speed on wedding planning. She had been distracted by other projects for at least a few weeks; however, she has suddenly decided we need to book a location NOW. What is interesting to me is how this is beginning to evolve. I can't even conceive how you can decide where you are getting married until you have a budget for

2millionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17168782327023590235noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15934201.post-1158244926150808862006-09-14T10:39:00.000-04:002006-09-14T10:49:39.683-04:00

No surprise here - as I suggested when I was setting my 2006 goals, I knew I was going to be spending a lot of cash this year. A quick glance at my August net worth readily reveals I now have negative net cash (Cash - CC Balances). I stretched and put 20% down on the new property I purchased; last month I bought an engagement ring; and for the 2nd half of 2006 I am on a temporary assignment in

2millionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17168782327023590235noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15934201.post-1158155192606300792006-09-13T09:44:00.000-04:002006-09-13T09:46:33.366-04:00

2million is moving to www.2millionblog.com I finally bit the bullet and have setup some permanent space for 2millionblog. Unlike many of my peers, I loved using blogger and had planned on continuing to use it for the foreseeable future. Unfortunately, I recently have just hit too many walls and felt like blogger was holding back this blog's development. I have migrated all the archives (posts

2millionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17168782327023590235noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15934201.post-1157995375227414112006-09-11T13:17:00.000-04:002006-09-11T13:22:56.140-04:00

The house I purchased in June has a gas pack heating/cooling system that was installed around 1993. I had it inspected while I was purchasing the property and a rust hole was discovered in the heat exchanger. I tried to negotiate for a whole new system from the seller, but in the end settled for ~$1,500 which was based on a quote I received to replace the heat exchanger in the gas pack since

2millionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17168782327023590235noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15934201.post-1157483805699824472006-09-07T11:05:00.000-04:002006-09-07T11:10:56.833-04:00

Well I bit again. Back in June I signed up for a 0% balance transfer from CitiCard for $26.5k, now I signed up for a $13k 0% balance transfer from Capital One. Since I no longer have any major financing moves in my immediate future (no plans to buy another property), I went ahead and put my credit score back to work by applying for a new credit card, taking the 0% balance transfer offer, and

2millionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17168782327023590235noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15934201.post-1157474123788983432006-09-06T09:14:00.000-04:002006-09-06T09:20:05.573-04:00

Last week, during a downpour, I had a fender bender. As I was slowing down, my car hydroplaned and I ended up hitting the guard rail. Luckily, no one else was involved and the car was drivable after the accident. My car hit the guardrail on the front drivers side. The rail missed my bumper (unfortunately) and crumpled the hood (not too much), the side panel was smashed around the park light,

2millionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17168782327023590235noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15934201.post-1157467282212667262006-09-05T10:35:00.000-04:002006-09-05T10:41:48.356-04:00

What a month! Investments faired well, I vested in my pension, and I made the most frivolous purchase of my lifetime as a sign of commitment to my fiancee. In the end I added $18,689 to my net worth ($1,261 excluding my vested pension adjustment). Assets Jul-06 Aug-06 Change % Cash & Savings $ 27,067.54 $

2millionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17168782327023590235noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15934201.post-1157053955941841372006-09-01T09:27:00.000-04:002006-09-01T09:33:18.986-04:00

Wow - time flies - It was one year ago this week that I published my first post that started 2millionblog! What a ride it has been so far. I have learned so much from my efforts to keep this blog running; it has truly been a great experience. To reminisce a bit, here are 12 topics I picked out from each month I have been running this blog - enjoy! In August 2005 I confessed my bad (but mostly

2millionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17168782327023590235noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15934201.post-1156382599292490582006-08-31T08:50:00.000-04:002006-08-31T08:56:14.073-04:00

So I had an idea of what my girlfriend likes and a price range of what I thought was reasonable to spend on the engagement ring. Now I had to figure out what I was looking for and what I willing pay for it. Unfortuntely for me, my girlfiend's favorite rings were designer brands sold in high end jewelry stores. No matter what size diamond I purchased, the style of ring she wanted with a

2millionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17168782327023590235noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15934201.post-1155585459876942642006-08-30T14:49:00.000-04:002006-08-30T14:55:34.936-04:00

Before we got engaged a few weeks ago, my fiancee and I had been dating for almost 4 years. Future plans for us had been discussed many times over the course of our relationship, but our future was somewhat on hold given the career program I was in and the risk for several temporary assignments over the last 2 years. At the beginning of this year I knew it was time to step up to the plate.

2millionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17168782327023590235noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15934201.post-1154999627938164472006-08-28T10:02:00.000-04:002006-08-28T10:07:53.450-04:00

After a couple of weekend excursions earlier this year, I was really nervous about our week long engagement trip in the beginning of August. I tend to treat vacations as a get away, and don't worry about money management during my time off. I normally shop around for a hotel or airfare before the trip, but once we were on the vacation, I put aside my money management hat and focus on having a

2millionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17168782327023590235noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15934201.post-1156430462088459922006-08-24T10:35:00.000-04:002006-08-25T21:42:27.400-04:00

Last month, I wrote about the possibility of getting multiple Sharebuilder bonuses by opening multiple accounts. I was able to confirm this morning that I have now received my 3rd $50 Sharebuilder bonus by opening my 3rd account with them. This is a no-brainer way to take $50, invest it, and double your money. If you have kids, why not start an account to save some extra money for college, a

2millionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17168782327023590235noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15934201.post-1156342481758900002006-08-23T10:09:00.000-04:002006-08-23T21:50:23.136-04:00

Got to love useful free stuff. Fill out the form to get a free Schick Quattro Titanium Razor. You can never have too many free razors because everyone has to shave (well at least they should). Credit goes to Slickdeals.

2millionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17168782327023590235noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15934201.post-1156190255440720992006-08-22T11:49:00.000-04:002006-08-22T11:54:59.430-04:00

In the beginning of the year, I reviewed my 2005 passive income, mainly from dividend paying stocks I own. Here is the same list of companies (I still own stock in each) with any quarterly dividend hikes seen in 2006:   2005 Dividend 206 Dividend % Increase Ranking IBM $ 0.20 $ 0.30 50% 1

2millionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17168782327023590235noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15934201.post-1155997659512146712006-08-21T12:41:00.000-04:002006-08-21T23:51:14.706-04:00

Since I recently hit 30 and I have had this nagging thought in my head that I should dig into my files to find my small collection of U.S. Savings Bonds. I mainly accumulated these bonds from gifts over the years and I want to see when they stop earning interest. Afterall, these bonds only collect interest for 30yrs, so if any of my wise family members gave me bonds growing up that they

2millionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17168782327023590235noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15934201.post-1156171701154210032006-08-21T10:43:00.000-04:002006-08-22T10:21:37.813-04:00

If you think you might have some US Savings Bonds, maybe as gifts from realatives over the years, but can't physically locate them, you can submit a request a list of U.S. Savings Bonds in your name. Here is a sample letter I put together to request a search be conducted: Bureau of the Public Debt Accrual Securities Branch PO Box 1328 Parkersburg, WV 26106-1328 Dear Sir/Ma’am, I would like

2millionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17168782327023590235noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15934201.post-1155561679687692422006-08-16T00:06:00.000-04:002006-08-16T12:11:59.396-04:00

Cha-ching! Today I hit 5 years of service with my employer and vest in my cash balance pension plan. My employer currently contributes 5% of my salary to the pension account plus monthly interest on the balance. This pension is now worth at least $17,427.06 and will now be tracked in my net worth statements. Yeah ha! Thats a nice little bonus. While nothing has really changed this certainly

2millionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17168782327023590235noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15934201.post-1155523103504592582006-08-14T11:49:00.000-04:002006-08-14T11:55:35.540-04:00

One of the benefits of having my temporary assignment in NY is the closer proximity to my grandparent's home. Taking advantage of a free weekend, I spent it visiting with my aging grandparents. While I think my grandparents are amazing people and they have been retired for over 20 years, up until recently I never thought about their finances. When I visit them they always pick up any dining

2millionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17168782327023590235noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15934201.post-1155264150759275992006-08-11T11:31:00.000-04:002006-08-14T15:31:11.770-04:00

Fresh off a big vacation, my fiancee and I have decided to start a regular savings program for future vacations. We always talk about putting money aside for vacations, but in the end we haven't done it. So our plan now is to open a joint HSBC online savings account and setup small monthly contributions to a vacation fund. HSBC is currently yielding 5.05%APY and is offering a $25 Best Buy gift

2millionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17168782327023590235noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15934201.post-1154999578965482482006-08-09T08:43:00.000-04:002006-08-09T08:48:30.070-04:00

Finally a month to get excited about! While this month's net worth change doesn't rank up there with the 5 figure increases I was seeing at the beginning of the year, it is a healthy $5,445 increase on a hectic month including one-time expenses related to my move to NY, some vacation expenses, and a down payment on an engagement ring (details to be discussed later). The most significant

2millionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17168782327023590235noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15934201.post-1154879029341440372006-08-07T09:04:00.000-04:002006-08-07T09:09:18.526-04:00

I apologize for the lack of posts, my girlfriend and I took a 8-day road trip through the Northeast with stops in the Adirondacks; Quebec City, Canada; Golden Pond in Maine; Cape Cod; and Mystic Seaport, CT. We had an amazing vacation and enjoyed every part of it (except the rain while we camped in Cape Cod). On our last evening in Quebec City we took a stroll on the boardwalk overlooking the

2millionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17168782327023590235noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15934201.post-1148774363517134832006-08-02T10:19:00.000-04:002006-08-06T11:12:43.920-04:00

One of the hidden gems of my temporary assignment is I may be able to deduct many of my expenses from the temporary assignment on my income taxes. While this is a sizable opportunity to reduce my income taxes, there is little chance for me to come out ahead since these are tax deductions and not tax credits. My hope is to identify all the areas of opportunity so that I can maximize the value of

2millionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17168782327023590235noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15934201.post-1152878803386348232006-07-24T08:45:00.000-04:002006-07-24T08:49:44.470-04:00

I have been able to confirm that you can take advantage of multiple Sharebuilder promotion codes for the same person for more free investments. I established a Sharebuilder account last year with a free $50 bonus and have been happy with it to date. I also consolidated my holdings from my Etrade account to my Sharebuilder account because I was so satisfied with the account. Recently I decided

2millionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17168782327023590235noreply@blogger.com