FiveCentNickel

With the New Year just around the corner, I thought it would be good to take look at IRA contribution limits for 2010. Contribution limits have been indexed to inflation since 2008, and can increase in $500 increments (as necessary)...

Now is the time to outline your financial goals for 2010. In case you haven’t already done this, I’ve put together some ideas to get you started. While I’ve loosely prioritized the main themes, you’ll want to tailor things according to your individual situation. Reduce...

The other night, I was poking around over on MyFICO. They have a 30 day free trial that provides you with access to both your credit report and your FICO credit score. The free credit report isn’t a big deal, as you can get that free no matter what. ...

This is a guest post from Darwin of Darwin’s Finance. If you like what you see here, please consider subscribing to his RSS Feed. In life, we’re routinely faced with situations that require an immediate reaction. Consider the need to pay monthly bills and keep your head above water. Be...

Back in August, I suggested that 401(k) limits might be decreasing in 2010. Fortunately, that’s not the case. Rather, the limit on elective deferrals will be holding steady at $16,500/year. This limit not only applies to 401(k) accounts, but to 403(b) and 457(b) accounts, as well. ...

With Christmas now in the rearview mirror, I thought it would be interesting to talk about gift giving strategies...

As long as you are not smack dab in the middle of aggressive debt reduction (and perhaps eve if you are), paying extra for quality is rarely a bad idea. Sure, as with anything there are exceptions to the rule, but rather than focus on those exceptions, let’s focus on the rule itself. ...

Emergency funds are a hot topic amongst financial writers. How much do you need? How should you go about building one? Where should you keep it? It seems like every time you turn around, people are writing about the importance of emergency funds...

I updated our account in Quicken over this past weekend. In doing so, I was able to get a better look at the “real world” performance of my Lending Club portfolio. According to Lending Club, my net annualized return is currently right at 9.60%. A...

It’s easy to complain when you don’t reach your goals, but it takes real commitment to figure out what you can do to improve your situation – and then to act on it. If you don’t, you’ll never get ahead, financially or otherwise. Create a...

I recently received an e-mail from a reader who is frustrated by their lack of progress when it comes to retirement savings. In short, they thought it unlikely that they’d ever be able save more than a million dollars, if that. Would they still be able to retire? ...

The anniversary date on our AmEx Blue Cash rewards card is in December. That means that the rewards that we’ve accrued throughout the year will be paid out this month. ...

This is just a quick note to point out that GoGo is offering free in-flight internet via a series of promo codes. Airlines offering GoGo include Air Canada, AirTran, American, Delta, United, and Virgin America, though they don’t offer service on every flight. ...

I recently got an e-mail from a reader who was concerned about the long-term stability of peer lending outfits like Lending Club. In it, he asked: Is there any credible data as to how long companies such as Lending Club are likely to persist (5, 10, 20, 50 years)...