I’ve Been on a Personal Finance Hiatus

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For the past few months, really the past few years, I’ve been quietly probing my brain trying to discover if my wealth planning and financial journey has been the most optimal route.  And while I believe that I’ve done very well, at this point I think I would change a few things slightly.

If I were to rate my personal finance performance for the past 10 years, I’d have to give myself a B+ and maybe even an A-.  While a B+ is good, I think if I had done a few things differently, I probably could have raised that rating to at least a solid A- and probably a full-out A.

So for the next few months, I’m doing a lot of number crunching with Microsoft Excel and reviewing my financial beliefs and practices.  Shoot, maybe I’ll even write a book or perhaps even something a bit more ambitious in the future based on my analysis of the past 10financial years and how I could have followed a better path.  It’s a learning process, and since I didn’t come from a rich family, I’m still making mistakes along the way.  Small mistakes, not major ones, but mistakes all the same.

I wrote this just in case anyone wonders what has happened to me and why I don’t post with the frequency that my previous posting schedule followed (which was daily).  Hopefully I’ll be able to provide new exciting content that has a lot of benefit to the reader both in entertainment and in useful financial processes.

Thanks,

Don

 

Are High Semi-Known Colleges Worth the Costs?

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In an unusual paradox, it seems like there are huge college education cost bubbles in the United States that makes me question whether semi-known colleges are worth the costs?

I think college costs are a paradox in the fact that most of the information that they teach can be found on the internet for free and to top that, then information that most college teach is practically obsolete in contrast the knowledge needed to be successful in today’s business environment.  In the not too recent past, if you had a question about a particular and sometimes complex subject matter, you would have to hopefully know a local expert knowledgeable in such matter, and those with such knowledge could charge a decent fee for such information.  Today, most of the frugal and cost aware among us google our questions for a quick and mostly precise answer that often make the need for local knowledge experts much less valuable.  Not every topic, but a good percentage of them.

Learning Finances

Learning Finances

So that makes me question whether the high costs of some semi-known colleges are really worth the cost?  Using the site at Money.cnn.com, I check some of the “highly ranked” colleges in my local state, then compared them to the cost of going to Harvard.  I was shocked to find that they were comparable in costs and often just 5k less in price than my local colleges in my mid-eastern state.  Now to me, the price of Harvard would be worth the cost, but the semi-known colleges in my state do not seem to be worth the costs to me… well because they are semi-known only to my state primarily.  Why pay Harvard prices for a college that is not well-known, especially outside of the state I live in?

So what would be more reasonable?  I personally think going to one of the better public colleges would make more sense.  Those big public colleges everybody knows, even outside of the state the reside and they are much more affordable!  Usually the education is just as good and the costs are usually half the price of the semi-known private colleges that I looked into.

Here is the real shocker, most of the people work in a position that they didn’t even major in while in college, check out this post story if you don’t believe me:  College Major not my job nor what I do.  So again, I have to wonder if expensive, mostly unknown colleges are worth it if they aren’t known and you don’t even get a job in that major that you studied while in college?

While I think going to college has value, I would approach it thinking of value received from going, rather than just going to the most expensive college you can afford.

Bests,

Don

 

 

American Airlines Miles Credit Card seems like a Great Air Miles Reward Credit Card

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I’ve been considering getting a Air Miles Reward credit card recently, and below is what I came across that is making my consider American Airlines Miles Credit Card.

Saving Even More Money on American Airlines Florida Beach Deals

American Airlines provides luxurious Florida beach deals for an excellent price. However, you can make the experience even more affordable with the right rewards card and proper planning of your vacation. In cooperation with various resorts and lavish hotels, you could be spending time at the beach enjoying yourself on the shore of the Atlantic. So, how does one make these memorable vacations cheaper on the pocketbook?

 

The Right Rewards Card in Your Pocket

If you’re making future plans with your rewards cards, you could have already saved up a great deal of miles. As per an expert advice from Milecards.com If you’ve been churning rewards cards in order to accumulate the sign-up bonus on a regular basis, you could have tens of thousands of miles or more saved up for that perfect vacation. What better way to use them than to hit the sunny Florida beaches this summer? Your American Airlines Miles credit card could be your golden ticket to one of the most beautiful and romantic locations in the United States.

 

Accumulating the Signup Bonus

Churning rewards-based credit cards is one of the quickest and cheapest methods for gaining a great deal of points. By meeting the minimum requirements for each reward opportunity, you can quickly cycle from one card to another, gaining the bonus each time. However, every dollar you spend beyond the minimum requirement begins reducing the value of the reward. Since some of these cards can have relatively high interest rates, that extra money you spend could have been saved and used as cash.

 

The Troubles with Buying Miles

American Airlines, as well as other airline companies, allows patrons to “buy” additional miles in order to fly to various destinations. However, buying miles to put onto your account could be better spent as cash at your favorite locations. For instance, it would cost you seven times more money to buy enough miles to fly from Denver to Salt Lake City than it would to merely buy the ticket in cash. This may be acceptable if you only needed a few extra miles to receive a bonus or plan on gifting those miles to someone else.

 

Days of the Week Matter

Since most people plan vacations around weekends and holidays, many airlines and hotels will have varying rates throughout the week in order to make more money. However, there are ways you can use this to your advantage as long as you don’t mind traveling at odd times. Ways that you can pay less for the same vacation could include:

  • Specific days of the week
  • Specific times of the day
  • Seating arrangements

 

Specific Days of the Week

Did you know that you can save between 15 and 20 percent by moving your Florida vacation to Tuesday through Thursday as opposed to Friday through Sunday? While you may have to take a few days off of work, this could save you literally hundreds of dollars depending on the number of people you plan on taking. Even a trip for two could be a couple hundred dollars’ cheaper on a Tuesday than a Friday. In many areas, tourism is also at a low point during these days of the week, which means there are fewer people you have to deal with if you don’t like crowds. This includes staying at luxurious accommodations such as the Palm Beach Marriott Singer Island Resort and Spa. In fact, the most lucrative opportunity that could save you the most amount of money would be to book your flights on Tuesday and Thursday.

 

Specific Times of the Day

Days of the week are not the only method that can save you money during a beautiful Florida vacation. Certain times of the day could save you enough money to buy a decent meal at a restaurant each way. While it doesn’t provide the same overall advantage that traveling on a Tuesday creates, there is a slight difference when you change your flight time from 4 p.m. to 1 or 2 in the morning.

 

Seating Arrangements

Depending on the number of miles you have saved up, moving from first class to coach will definitely be much cheaper. However, sometimes it feels good to pamper yourself once in a while. It could be an excellent way to celebrate an anniversary, birthday or simply because you want to visit the amazing beaches of Florida while flying first class using your saved up rewards miles.

The American Airlines Florida beach deals include some of the most elegant and alluring resorts and hotels in the state. Combination packages like these can be quite attractive as flights and resorts by themselves can cost a great deal of money. This is just one of the many reasons why people utilize rewards cards even though most of the interest rates are higher than some standard credit cards you can qualify for. As long as you’re careful with your spending and try not to carry a balance for too long, you could have a Florida beach vacation at an amazing resort and spa nearly free of charge — outside of paying taxes and fees.

 

The Young Entrepreneurs of Finance and Trading

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Below is a sponsored post.

The Young Entrepreneurs of Finance and Trading

The new entrepreneurs making an impact in the world of finance and trading offer lessons to us all. Many of these high flyers are well on their way to achieving their dreams of financial freedom. Trading coaching organizations like Knowledge to Action, found here, offers their list of the young entrepreneurs of finance and trading currently operating at the top of their game. All of the entrepreneurs listed below are not yet thirty and are already distinguishing themselves in financial and trading markets around the world.

Tracy Britt Cool

This young entrepreneur grew up on a farm in Kansas, which she credits with shaping her commitment to seeing a job through, and the evolution of her underlying work ethic. Hired by Warren Buffet in 2009 when she was just 25 and newly graduated from Harvard business school, Tracy currently works as a financial assistant to the chairman of Berkshire Hathaway. At just 29 years of age, she shows remarkable financial acumen. She also chairs the boards of Berkshire Hathaway subsidiaries Benjamin Moore, Johns Manville, Larson-Juhl and Oriental Trading, as well as sitting on the board at H.J. Heinz. Warren Buffet paid her the ultimate compliment in January of this year when he spoke of her in a magazine interview and said ‘she thinks as I would’.

Eric Eisner

Another young entrepreneur making his mark is Eric Eisner, Vice President at Bank of America Merrill Lynch Global Banking and Markets. This 29 year old is credited with revolutionizing low-beta sovereign debt trading markets. Previously, this sort of market was viewed as unprofitable and a little dull. Eisner put paid to all that when he turned his business unit into a top revenue generator for Bank of America Merrill Lynch, trading in bonds worth over $30 billion. He currently oversees all Bank of America Merrill Lynch’s low-beta sovereign debt trading for Latin America, where his transformation from low performing business unit to one of the top-three revenue performers ensures he has made his mark.

Sam Shikiar

Currently, a Vice President at Goldman Sachs at just 28 years old, Shikiar leads a trading team devoted to electronic commodities, zeroing in on energy options and metals. He made his mark in asset management for hedge funds and also has skills in equities trading. Like Britt Cool above, Shikiar was hired right out of university, where he completed a double major in Science and Accounting the perfect background for someone making money for by trading in electronic commodities.

These young entrepreneurs of finance and trading are all under 30 and currently at the top of their specialized fields. There is inspiration in how much they have achieved in so short a time, and their commitment to themselves and their industry commands respect. Along the way they have learned from excellent mentors, from their own experiences and, from perhaps the most important teacher of all, the market itself.

What do you think about these high achievers doing so well at such a young age? Let us know your thoughts in the Comments box below.