Showing posts with label deals. Show all posts
Showing posts with label deals. Show all posts

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Deal: 8GB Class 10 Micro SDHC Memory Card with Adapter

I try not to spam you too often with deals that I think are mildly interesting or fairly good. :)

But, if you happened to be in the market for a new SD card for your camera - this one might fit the bill nicely.
I personally didn't jump on this deal because we just bought a new 32GB card for our new camera. Yeah, our old camera died. :(   So we had to upgrade. :)


Anyways, the Class rating on SD cards is important when you start saving video and taking lots of high res pictures. The higher the Class rating, the faster the read/write times to the card. New cameras suggest at least a Class 4 or 6. Obviously, the higher the Class rating, the more expensive the card.

Another caveat to this deal is that you'll want to check out your camera's maximum SD card size that it can handle. It won't do you any good to buy this 8GB card and find out that your camera only can handle a 4GB card. Essentially, you'll pop it in, and your camera will only see 4GB instead of the true 8GB. It can be a bit difficult to find the actual specs on max card size for your camera, so some searching may be involved.

The fact that the actual memory is just the microSD form factor size is not an issue. Even if your camera only accepts the standard SD form factor size, the adapter will not negatively affect performance because it is just a direct connection pass through adapter. I just smile at how a standard was adopted and technology zoomed on ahead.

This might be a good deal, if I needed more cards for my camera. I also thought it might work as an upgrade to my current jump drive, but then I'd need a USB adapter like this.
Suddenly, it's not such a great deal. Too bad it didn't come with that kind of adapter to begin with. Although, it's so tiny, it's hard to hold on to and not lose. A friend of mine already lost his.
And if I'm going to spend $12 on an adapter, I start to wonder why I didn't just go for a 17million and one card reader, but that wasn't the original intent, so yeah, back full circle. This might be a good deal if I wanted a smaller card...whatever.

Final thoughts: The deal isn't so hot for some because of the rebate. Additional research on Amazon and Newegg also shows only average reviews. But, regardless, I hope the above information will aid you in your quest the next time you upgrade.

Thursday, May 13, 2010

Discover Card $75 Signup Bonus

It pays to Discover. That is there slogan, and this time they are living up to it with a new promotional code. In fact, Discover Card will pay you a $75 cashback bonus if you apply online using the promo code: DADN. You can also apply by phone, 1-800-210-9022, and referencing this invitation code: DADN. This reward is for new cardmembers only. 
The Fine Print -
Get a $75 Cashback Bonus when you apply by June 18, 2010 and make a total of $500 in purchases with your new card within 3 months of being approved. Promotional reward will be applied within 8 weeks. This promotional reward is in addition to the Cashback Bonus earned on all purchases.
There is no annual fee on this card. It is their popular 5% Cashback Bonus card that offers rewards in categories like travel, gas, groceries, restaurants, etc. However, the categories eligible for the full 5% reward change quarterly and/or monthly. Otherwise, as is standard, all purchases earn an unlimited 1% Cashback Bonus.

Discover also partners with some retailers to increase your Cashback Bonus rewards. Sometimes you can turn your $40 Cashback Bonus into a $50 gift card at participating retailers. In the past, you could even find deals to double your Cashback Bonus.

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

How to Get Paid to Bank

Melissa & Doug Play Money SetYou've got a job and you've got your bills. And therein lies the problem. The amount leftover after the bills isn't enough to satisfy you wants. Savvy personal finance says you have two options. Increase your earnings or spend less than you earn. I am always on the lookout for different ways to increase my earnings. The first place to increase your earnings significantly comes from your current income source -  your job. Brush up that resume, or ask for a raise. In the meantime, there are other methods that are great for boosting income. Sell you stuff! Then go online and open a few bank accounts. 

Yes, believe it or not, banks are increasingly using the tactic of offering up cash incentives and rewards to lure in new customers. Make sure you do your homework first if you are currently looking to open a new checking or savings or brokerage account. There are lots of lucrative first time customer rewards. In fact, to help you get started I have started to list the current bank deals that I am aware of on my Free Money Bank Deals page.

"BIG MONEY" $100. DOLLAR BILL AREA RUGGetRichSlowly recently asked the readers, "Ask the Readers: How Do You Choose a Savings Account?" For me, it was moving to a new area that opened up my eyes to different service providers and a few hundred dollars. Bank of America offered me $100 to open a new checking account online with no fees. SunTrust offered me $150 to bank with them and use their billpay service. And BB&T is still offering $100 to new customers who open a banking account. ING Direct is also offering a free $50 for new customers. There are plenty more including brokerages like TradeKing's free $50.

How do you find the banking bonus deals?
I find out about these primarily by visiting the actual bank either online or through their physical brick and mortar branches. From there it is advertisements, SlickDeals, FatWallet, and personal finance blogs like MyMoneyBlog. There appears to be an exhaustive list on iBankBonus.

Is it worth it?
One Cent, Two Cents, Old Cent, New Cent: All About Money (Cat in the Hat's Learning Library)In the last year, I was given nearly $1,000 to open up a new account and do business with various banks and brokerages. All that income is reported to the IRS via a 1099-INT and subject to taxes. But aside from the monetary gain, the greatest benefit came from the ability to pick the bank that worked best for me. It was like they were offering me cash to come take a test drive of their services and see how they stacked up against the competition. How well was their billpay setup? How easily could I transfer in funds? 

Does it affect your credit score? 
Sometimes. Not every bank will do a hard pull of your credit score. If your checking account comes with an overdraft line of credit then they will likely do a hard pull. Each inquiry to your credit will ding your score. This will not be helpful if you plan on going in and getting a new loan for a car or house in the near term. You can read more about what affects your credit score.

Are you at increased risk of identity theft?
It is generally believed that the more you expose yourself the more chance you have of becoming a victim of identity theft. This might be true. Banks and other financial institutions are charged with safekeeping your information private but thieves do exist. That is one reason you should check your credit report at least once a year even if you haven't been opening new accounts for a few extra Benjamin Franklin's in your wallet.

What is the catch?
$100 Bill Wallet Always look inLoadedin [Office Product]There is definitely a catch. They aren't likely to just hand over a free $100 for nothing. They want your business and your money. To qualify for your bank bonus you will likely have to complete a few small tasks. Banks usually require one of three things or a combination of them and include using their billpay service, establishing direct deposit, and/or using a debit card a set number of times per month. There may also be various time limits associated with each of these. SunTrust asked for 3 bill pays each month for 3 months. Brokerages similarly ask for a minimum deposit and sometimes executing a trade.

Do the rewards always come through?
Yes, as long as you meet all of the requirements. If you are going to sign up for a promotion be sure to print off or save the promotion page with all of the fine print. Then create a little to do list and keep to it.

What are the best deals?/What are the easiest way to make free money?
The best deals are those that just have a minimum deposit for a required time frame. For example, open an account and leave the money there for six months to a year. These offers can be thought of as lucrative one year CD's because you have to wait to get your principal back. Some banks will count direct deposits that come in the form of an ACH push from another bank.

Can I do more than one at time?
You are not limited to the number of offers you want to apply for. You will likely be limited in the number of direct deposits that you can do in a month. If you employer allows your paycheck to be split up and direct deposited into several accounts it will be easier to do two offers with direct deposit requirements. If you want to fulfill billpay requirements on more than offer - just split up payment and pay it multiple times or from multiple sources.

Any other tips?
Emerson Digital Coin BankMake sure you are aware of your limits. Some credit cards only allow a set number of payments during each billing cycle. Don't allow yourself to get so caught up in making an extra $100 that you miss a payment because you didn't understand the new banking system and get charged late fees. Don't make signature based purchases on your debit card on the last day of the month and expect them to show up as transactions for that month - they often take a day or two to clear and finally post to your account. 

Remember, while you might be upset the banks were all bailed out and are evil - they are only offering the money as a marketing ploy to gain you as another customer.

Have you switched banks recently? Tell us about your experience with new account offers.

Saturday, May 8, 2010

$50 Free Money at Ing Direct

Ing Direct has a $50 Free Money offer when you open a new Electric Orange Checking Account online. This offer has an implicit minimum deposit based on the requirement to make three signature based debit card transactions. I am a proud Ing Direct customer and have received more than one promotion from them. They sport no account fees, free bill pay, and a really nice web interface. I also love their person2person payment services. It is just like PayPal without the fees. Couple that with their savings accounts and the ability to open sub-accounts makes your banking experience easy and less stressful.

Use your Electric Orange Card to make at least 3 signature-based purchases in the first 45 days after your account has been opened.

If you want a savings account, too, you can always earn another $25 from a referral award. The referrer gets $10. Need a referral? Just ask.

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Free $50 Bonus at TradeKing

Us Currency, 50 and 20 Dollar Bills Photographic Poster Print by Amanda Hall, 18x24TradeKing is celebrating the birthday of Wall Street with a special $50 sign up bonus for new members that are referred by an existing member. TradeKing usually rewards friendship by giving you $50 for every friend that signs up. I believe that this promotion and their annual celebration of Friendship Week is the only other times that a new member can cash in on the free $50 bonus as well. 

Here is the fine print -

Here’s how it works:

If someone you refer funds a new account with at least $1,000 and executes a trade, we’ll deposit $50 each into both accounts. (Review full eligibility rules here.)
Your friends MUST click the link in our email for us to track them and for you both to receive your rewards. But don’t worry. We tell them that in the email they’ll receive.
This capital offer ends June 3, 2010, so gather your friends around the "virtual buttonwood" and start earning today.

The Options Playbook, Expanded 2nd Edition: Featuring 40 strategies for bulls, bears, rookies, all-stars and everyone in between. I like TradeKing and have been trading with them for almost three years now!  Well, I guess I didn't do much trading last year after some of my investments were wiped out! But who didn't have that problem? When I signed up I didn't get a cash offer. Instead, I received an awesome gift - The Options Playbook. This is a great resource for anybody that wants to learn about investing with options and how each of the strategies like Covered Calls, Iron Condors, Butterflies, Naked Put Selling, and all the rest, can be played out. The book also covers the Greeks. If you have ever wanted to invest in options but didn't know how this book will teach you how.

Need a referral so you can cash in on this great bonus offer? Just let me know.

Thursday, April 22, 2010

Free Admission National Park Week

Free Admission to all 392 National Parks during National Park Week!

National Geographic Guide to the National Parks of the United States, 6th EditionIt's not too late to go explore our great country and visit a National Park near you.

The National Park Service is offering free admission to all 392 parks from April 17th to April 25th. Many of the parks are planning special events for the week so its sure to be fun!

Thursday, April 8, 2010

Free Experian Credit Report and Plus Score

It is always a good idea to monitor your credit report and make sure things are correct. It is doubly nice when you actually get the chance to see what your score is looking like. American Express is offering their credit card customers this opportunity.
From their website -

Why should you request your complimentary 30-day Credit Score & Report?

  •  It allows you to detect possible inaccuracies on your Credit Report
  • It provides you immediate access to your valuable Credit Score for 30 days
  • It enables you to see who has viewed your Credit Report
  • It helps you determine if your accounts are in good standing

My personal PLUS(not FICO) score, based on my Experian report is 762.

About your PLUS Score:
Your PLUS Score is formulated using the information in your credit file. Your PLUS Score can range between 330 and 830, with a higher score indicating a lower risk. There are many scoring models used in the marketplace. The type of score used, and its associated risk levels, may vary from lender to lender. But regardless of what scoring model is used, they all have one purpose: to summarize your creditworthiness. Keep in mind that your score is just one factor used in the application process. Other factors, such as your annual salary and length of employment, may also be considered by lenders when you apply for a loan.

What your PLUS Score means:
Factors in your credit file indicate you have excellent credit. Lenders will likely offer you the best rates and terms.

What this means to you:
Credit scoring can help you understand your overall credit rating and help companies better understand how to serve you. Overall benefits of credit scoring have included faster credit approvals, reduction in human error and bias, consistency, and better terms and rates for American consumers through reduced costs and losses for lenders. While lenders may use different scoring models to determine how you score, and each major credit bureau has its own method for calculating credit scores, the scoring models have been fairly well standardized so that a score at one bureau is roughly equivalent to the same score at another.

What factors raise your PLUS Score:
You have paid your bills on time and currently do not have any overdue accounts or derogatory information, such as a collection, charge-off, or bankruptcy, on your report.

You have a good cushion of available credit between your current balance and your credit limits on all open trades. This has a positive affect on your credit score. This cushion shows lenders that you are unlikely to overextend yourself financially.

The total balance on all your credit cards is relatively low compared to your total available credit limit. This has a positive impact on your credit score.

You have at least 2 or more open major credit cards, such as Discover, American Express, VISA, or MasterCard, on your credit report. This often tells lenders that you are a responsible borrower and they may be more likely to see you as a good credit risk and extend you credit.

What factors lower your PLUS Score:
Each time a potential lender or landlord pulls your credit report for review, an inquiry is placed on your file. Inquiries stay on your credit report for up to 2 years. Having several inquiries on your credit report is negatively affecting your score. They are not necessarily negative information, but too many inquiries may indicate to lenders that you are trying to take on more new debt or possibly overextending yourself.

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

ShareBuilder Free Money Account Transfer Bonus

ShareBuilder has yet another promotion to give you more free money. If you transfer your brokerage account, value of $500 or more, to ShareBuilder, they will give you $100! Use promo code TRADEUP100.
Don't have a ShareBuilder account yet? Make sure and get one via this promo to get another $50 free money.

The $100 bonus will post to your account approximately 4-6 weeks after completing a full brokerage transfer from a competing broker and is not available for withdrawal for 180 days. Limit one ShareBuilder promotional award per unique customer or custodial beneficiary.

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Wrong Number Suspense Novel with Free Gifts Promo

Wrong Number by Rachelle J. Christensen is a brand-new suspense novel already receiving stellar reviews:

“I give Rachelle Christensen ten-plus out of ten for her debut novel. Wrong Number is beautifully written, fast paced, and full of cliff hangers that make it impossible to put down. I recommend this book for all readers who enjoy mind-wrinkling suspense, well sprinkled with mystery and clean romance.”
 
--Anne Bradshaw, author of Famous Family Nights 


Wrong Number is available on Amazon.com for the incredible price of just $10.11

I have a special offer for you—it only lasts 24 hours. Purchase Wrong Number from Amazon.com using this link. Then email RachelletheWriterATgmail.com with your order confirmation/receipt. Once I receive your order details, I will email you an amazing selection of bonus gifts.

Here’s what’s in store when you purchase Wrong Number today:

1. An e-book from Cedar Fort publications!  After publishing her widely acclaimed poems in such places as the Ann Landers column and Chicken Soup for the Soul, author Carol Lynn Pearson has compiled her finest love poems into a beautiful gift book: In Love Again and Always.You'll receive a free pdf copy of this book when you notify Rachelle of your purchase.

2. A tutorial on how to construct your very own Note Card Holder w/ Cards - pictures included from Stephanie Johnson, Stampin' Up! Demonstrator.


3. Do you want to find new customers for your business? Karen Clark, CEO of MyBusinessPresence.com, shares her 11 years of experience marketing a business online to teach you how to expand your own reach on the internet in this audio recording.

4.
One free month membership to the DSWA. Your online library for motivational speeches, training, everything you’d like to know to help your business, personal life, and more.

5. Jordan McCollum from MamaBlogga.com has an excellent pdf-- Get Your Visitors To Stick: How to get your blog visitors to stay longer, come back and subscribe to your feed.

Feel free to pass this email on to your friends. We’d like as many people as possible to benefit from these bonus gifts.

Remember this offer expires in just 24 hours! Email Rachellethewriter AT Gmail.com with your order confirmation/receipt when you purchase Wrong Number to receive your 5 bonus gifts!

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

ShareBuilder Free Money Promo Code

ShareBuilder sent me an email promotion for a free $50 new account sign up bonus.
Buy stocks for $4 with automatic investing
•    Select from over 7,000 stocks and ETFs
•     Schedule investments on a weekly or monthly basis
•     Invest any dollar amount on Tuesdays exclusively online

We'll jump start your investing with a $50 account bonus.
Go to www.ShareBuilder.com/em/SBE50 to open your account today and we'll match the first $50 you deposit. Offer expires 4/30/10.

The cool thing about this promotion is that there is no requirement to actually make an investment. Just drop in your $50 and you make another $50. That's sweet!

I like ShareBuilder and like the setup that they have. Their system favors dollar cost averaging and is geared towards set it and forget it automatic investing. ShareBuilder would be a great place to do your "core" investing.

Saturday, March 20, 2010

Lending Club $100 Bonus

Lending Club recently sent me this promotion.

As a March bonus, we would like to offer you up to a $100 Cash Bonus on new funds you deposit.
If between March 11, 2010 and March 26, 2010, you fund your account with:
  • an additional $1,000-$2,499.99, Lending Club will GIVE you a $25 Cash Bonus**, or
  • an additional $2,500 or more, Lending Club will GIVE you a $100 Cash Bonus**

Enroll in the March Rewards Program Now »


Diversification:

A way to lower risk.

Learn more about diversification »

Enroll in the Cash Rewards Program »

There is no obligation to participate if you enroll.
However, in order to receive the bonus, you must use the link above to enroll in the program. The cash bonus will be deposited in your account by April 9, 2010.

*** This bonus will be locked and only available for investing until all of the newly loaded funds are invested on the platform, at which point the bonus will available for withdrawal by you. Funds must by fully invested by April 30, 2010 to unlock the bonus for withdrawal.

What is your experience with LendingClub?  Do you like the new website redesign?

Don't have an account? Sign up with a referral link from me and earn an additional $24!  Woohoo! Free money!

Monday, March 15, 2010

Free Sample of Cream of Wheat

Cream Of Wheat Original, Instant Cereal, 12-Count Units (Pack of 3)Yummm. Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day. In fact, sometimes for dinner, we will cook up a huge breakfast of pancakes, bacon, eggs, and hash browns. I love cold cereal and hot cereal, too. If you go visit Cream of Wheat, you can score a free sample of their new flavors. I grew up with the original flavor with a spoonful of honey for flavoring, or sometimes a hot, drippy cinnamon roll to go with it. Enjoy!

Friday, March 12, 2010

The Declaration of Financial Independence

The Orange Code: How ING Direct Succeeded by Being a Rebel with a CauseOne of the first steps to climbing out of the hole of debt or straightening out the wayward course of your finances is to wake up one day and decide that enough is enough!  From this day forward you will fight a battle against the old way of doing things that lead you to spend money you do not have. Today you will declare your financial independence!

And the people over at ING Bank have made that possible. They have a blog and a website where savers unite and you can sign the Declaration of Financial Independence. I enjoy banking with ING. They are my favorite online bank and they have offered very competitive savings rates. One of the most handy features they have is the ability to add 'sub-accounts' and nickname them. I have my standard FREE checking and HIGH interest rate savings accounts, but I also have five, yes 5, other savings accounts. Some are named, "3-month emergency fund", "Next Car Fund", and my favorite even though it is empty right now, "Vacation Fund."

As the money rolls in from each paycheck it gets automatically divided up into each account. No more tracking what each goal was worth in Excel. Just simple and fun budgeting. If you think you would like to try out an account or two or three over at ING, just email me and I can send you a referral link. Right now, if you sign up on a referral link, you will receive a $25 bonus. And I get a bonus of $10, too. Win, win.

Thursday, March 4, 2010

BB&T Free Checking $100 Bonus

Another new checking account opening bonus. This time it is worth one hundred dollars from BB&T.
$100 from BB&T.  Apply online with offer code: AFJAP
No monthly minimum balance or monthly maintenance fee is advertised on this account.
The fine print reads...

* In order to receive the $100 incentive, new clients must do at least one of the following: 1) Use BB&T online bill payment service to initiate 3 online bill payments (minimum payment of $10) from your new checking account within 60 days of account opening, OR 2) Enroll in and receive 2 recurring direct deposits (minimum of $10) to the new personal checking account within 90 days of account opening. Any accounts not in good standing, closed, and/or with a balance less than or equal to zero at the time we review account eligibility will not receive the $100 incentive. Normal minimum balance opening requirements apply. The $100 account opening incentive will be deposited directly to your account within 4 weeks of meeting the above requirements, and will be reported to the IRS as required by law. Offer expires 6/3/2010

I have not used this bank before, but they seem to be a pretty good bank based on these recent awards. They used to be a S&P 500 Aristocrat up until last year, too.

Monday, March 1, 2010

US Mint Dollar Coins Free Money Hack Whacked

If you read very many personal finance blogs you are sure to come across several money hacks. Money hacks are loopholes or tricks that are perfectly legal but allow the consumer to gain an edge instead of the banks and credit card companies. Score one for the savvy consumer!

Jumbo 2 Euro Economy CoinA popular money hack was discovered in June 2008 when the US Mint started promoting the usage of their latest presidential dollar coins. Dollar coins are more durable and stay in circulation longer simply because they do not wear out so easily as a paper dollar bill. Outside of the United States, the usage of low denomination bills is rare and the usage of coins in 1, 2 and 5 denominations is quite common. 

2008 Andrew Jackson Presidential $1 Coin - 7th President, 1829-1837So what is this money hack with the US Mint? They were allowing customers to purchase large quantities of dollar coins and they were shipped free to the consumer. A savvy consumer would use a frequent flyer or similar rewards credit card to purchase them and then simply drop them off at the bank and deposit them to pay off their credit card bill. Lots of points and zero net cost! 

Personally, I was always intrigued by the idea, but never really felt the need. Maybe that is because for the first five series of the presidential coins the limit you could buy was $500 per president. Maybe I did not do it because it wasn't worth the hassle. Apparently, I missed the fact that the latest Sacajawea dollar coin did not have a limit on purchases. It made me think - would I have taken advantage of the system just to get some points on my credit card? I don't know. Would you have? Did you? Was it worth it?

Don't get too excited. The US Mint has finally caught on, based on this LA Times article, and killed the deal. Now the purchases will not ring up as point of sale but as a cash advance on your credit card. Cash advances are really bad on your credit card in terms of fees and interest rates.

What is your favorite way to game the system? Share below in the comments.

Sunday, February 28, 2010

Bank of America $75 Bonus

60 Minutes - Bank of America (October 19, 2008)Need a new checking account? Bank of America is running a special online promotion where they will give you $75 if you open a new checking account with at least an initial $125 opening deposit. 

Here is the fine print.
You will receive your $75 credit to your new account within 90 days of opening your new personal checking account online. Limit one $75 incentive per household every 6 months. This is a special offer to existing Bank of America credit card customers and only valid only for new MyAccess Checking® accounts. This offer does not apply to current checking customers or student checking accounts. You must use the Offer Code CH75OL1 and fund your account with the $125 minimum opening deposit requirement within 30 days in order to qualify for this offer. We may report the value of any premium to the IRS. This offer expires on 3/31/2010. This offer may be withdrawn or modified at any time without notice. The $75.00 credit can only be made to your new account. This new account must be still open at this time to receive your $75.00 credit. Reproduction, purchase, sale, transfer or trade of this online-only offer and use of offer code CH75OL1 is prohibited. MyAccess Checking® has no monthly maintenance fee when opened online. Other account related service fees still apply.

Friday, February 12, 2010

My Roth IRA Plans for 2010

After seeing yesterday's promotion from ShareBuilder, I went looking for options for my Roth IRA contribution this year. I wanted to invest my $5k (over 55 get to invest $6k) and where I could do it and not be charged an annual fee, and be able to invest in a fund that didn't have an upfront sales fee, an enormous expense ratio, etc. I was pretty excited about trading free for a year with ShareBuilder and wanted to try out a real automatic investing, dollar cost averaging approach for a year and see how it went.

Then, yesterday I found an ad from Fidelity that made me look twice via one of my favorite personal finance blogs - MyMoneyBlog. Fidelity is offering free trades on 25 different iShares ETF's.

The ETF Book: All You Need to Know About Exchange-Traded FundsI was pretty stoked by the idea that I could put my full contribution straight into ETF's (exchange trade funds).  ETF's are almost like index funds. There is a slight difference, but I won't go into that here.
SO, what am I suggesting? Well, MyMoneyBlog wrote a short paragraph explaining it better than I could. So, quickly go here for more information on asset allocation with ETF's.


Finally, I also found out that Fidelity is just playing catch up. Apparently, Schwab has been doing this for a few months with their own brand of ETF's. Fidelity is also playing catch up in their pricing because there are several online trade houses that have been offering very low trade commissions for a few years. I guess the pressure has finally pushed them to react and drop their own pricing. Competition is great for that.

And looking at the last link, the important thing to notice is the focus on expense ratios, because the higher the expense to own the fund, the better it has to do to actually return you any money. For example, your China fund that you own currently, might have returned a nice 10% this year, but it costs you 2% a year to own - so effectively you only earned 8%.  Had you just simply bought a foreign index fund or ETF that only earned the average 8%, and only cost 0.1%, you would have earned 7.9%.   It works more in your favor during losing years because then you add the expense to your loss and make it worse of a loss.

So, should you run out and open a Fidelity account? Well, not quite yet. I am almost convinced, but I want to look one last time at Vanguard - the best of the best out there for what I have heard. However, because I already have an open account at Fidelity - I might just open my Roth IRA with Fidelity for the easiness factor.

Well, that is my plan. Thought you might be interested to know as well.
What are your plans?  Share them below in the comments.

Thursday, February 11, 2010

ShareBuilder Free Trades for a Year

If you have not opened an IRA yet - Now is the time to do so!  Or, if you are unhappy with your current broker, this new promotion from ShareBuilder might be what it takes to convince you to try something new. ShareBuilder is offering a new promotion to new IRA account holders to receive free trades for the entire year of 2010 with Promo Code: 2010IRA.
*Open an IRA before 4/15/10 to receive 1,500 Automatic Investment Plan credits. The trade credits will be posted to your account the next business day and will expire on 12/31/10. This offer applies to Individual Retirement Accounts only. AIP credits for mutual fund purchases apply only after the minimum investment has been met. Visit the ShareBuilder website for complete pricing and rates.
Your Complete Retirement Planning Road Map: A Comprehensive Action Plan for Securing IRAs, 401(k)s, and Other Retirement Plans for Yourself and Your FamilyPersonally, I think this is a great deal. Trade commissions can eat up a large portion of your contribution. For example, if you do a monthly investment plan and buy only two stocks or funds - that is 24 trades. Your costs could range from $4 at ShareBuilder to $10 or more at other brokerage houses. Granted, some brokerage houses waive trading commissions if you are buying their brand name funds. For the year, your costs would range from $96 to $240+. And if you are only investing $5000 into a Roth, those trading commissions quickly become an expense of almost 2% to almost 5% of your total investment.

Are you a ShareBuilder investor? What is your experience? Share below in the comments.

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