Disqus - Latest Comments for jim

Re: How Do Your Job’s Benefits Compare?

jim — Tue, 08 Aug 2006 15:57:42 -0000

I think it's funny when companies make boneheaded decisions like that, pinching pennies while ignoring pounds is ridiculous.

Re: Regularly Scheduled Auto Maintenance, Part 2: 50,000 Miles

jim — Tue, 08 Aug 2006 16:00:39 -0000

What did you have done? $100 seems cheap...

Re: Flexo’s “Get Away From BlogSpot” Project

jim — Wed, 12 Jul 2006 23:52:42 -0000

Flexo is a P.I.M.P.!

Re: Caption Contest: Ben Bernanke

jim — Wed, 21 Jun 2006 23:04:48 -0000

So last night I got drunk and the girl was ...

Re: Maybe Lend Money To Your Friends

jim — Fri, 09 Jun 2006 10:24:22 -0000

I wholeheartedly agree.

Re: Personal Balance Sheet, April 2006 ($49,835, +6.79%)

jim — Wed, 03 May 2006 07:29:39 -0000

Nearly a 7% increase, good stuff buddy.

Re: Sell Your Life Insurance Policy

jim — Wed, 03 May 2006 07:32:27 -0000

You can name a beneficiary and so when you "sell" it, you set the beneficiary as the party you've sold it to. They can't stop you from renaming the beneficiary.

Re: TIAA-CREF Funded My SEP IRA!

jim — Fri, 28 Apr 2006 11:06:05 -0000

You're very welcome. :)

Re: Even Lousy CEOs Get Great Pay

jim — Wed, 26 Apr 2006 15:49:16 -0000

And if they keep it up, they can get the ultimate in paydays... severence.

Re: More Clarification on the Carnival

jim — Tue, 25 Apr 2006 08:30:33 -0000

I think often times folks forget that these are just journals, albeit ones with growing popularity, and that not all of us see it as a way to make money. I think that for some folks, I have no one particular in mind, they see it as more a business and thus are more focused on gaining traction, which carnivals certainly help in doing, so they might take offense to you requiring what I consider simple and reasonable criteria.

Re: Good News: Get Your Degree In Two Weeks

jim — Wed, 26 Apr 2006 11:20:12 -0000

One that takes a little longer than two weeks to get anyway...

Re: Good News: Get Your Degree In Two Weeks

jim — Tue, 25 Apr 2006 08:31:50 -0000

That same reader sent me the same email, how do I know it was the same? Because he spelled D:iplomas and Maste*rs the same way!

Re: TIAA-CREF Didn’t Fund My SEP IRA

jim — Tue, 18 Apr 2006 14:38:27 -0000

Good luck Flexo, I think as long as all the postmarks are within the deadline you should be alright but dealing with these things is such a pain.

Re: This Month Last Year

jim — Fri, 14 Apr 2006 00:34:51 -0000

I'll be in Tahoe at the end of July, I hear it's nice out there but i haven't been yet.

Re: This Week in the Pfblogosphere

jim — Sat, 08 Apr 2006 22:10:49 -0000

My friend told me that Joshua Tree is gorgeous... I want to check it out sometime.

Re: Weakness in Manhattan

jim — Tue, 04 Apr 2006 19:08:47 -0000

120-130/sq ft is the valuation around my area in MD when I was looking for a house (about a year ago). Like Hazzard, $1k+/sq ft seems insane... then again, you get quite a bit for your buck in NYC. (and you typically get more buck too!)

Re: Taking A “Sick Day”

jim — Mon, 03 Apr 2006 19:53:10 -0000

Feel better buddy

Re: Status: Free Money Invested, Transaction Fee Recovered

jim — Tue, 28 Mar 2006 08:20:47 -0000

I agree, nice re-design!

Re: Microsoft’s Strategy: Screw The Customer

jim — Fri, 24 Mar 2006 13:38:29 -0000

Why even upgrade?

Re: Administrative Note – I’m Fed Up

jim — Wed, 08 Mar 2006 02:00:29 -0000

Man I love Word Press, Spam Karma's been working like a dream though the last day or two there have been a couple ones that have made it through. Nothing with links in the text but a couple authors from random-url-about-prescription-drugs.com but nothing major.

Re: One Carnival is Up

jim — Mon, 06 Mar 2006 10:41:24 -0000

Thanks for mentioning the CoDR!

Re: Saving Another $10 on Cable Internet

jim — Mon, 06 Mar 2006 10:42:40 -0000

This is a great idea!

Re: Schadenfreude

jim — Tue, 28 Feb 2006 10:58:47 -0000

Lay deserves it.

Re: Retire to the Road

jim — Mon, 27 Feb 2006 17:04:16 -0000

That and I don't want to pump out my own sewage.

Re: Retire to the Road

jim — Mon, 27 Feb 2006 17:03:45 -0000

As comfortable as an RV could be, nothing beats a nice bed with a solid roof over your head. :)

Re: Bank Robbers Steal Worthless £50m

jim — Sat, 25 Feb 2006 23:26:24 -0000

Who's "george"? :)

Re: Bank Robbers Steal Worthless £50m

jim — Sat, 25 Feb 2006 19:59:01 -0000

They make it sound like they have to launder all $85m in one shot... heck, I can launder a few grand every week and be perfectly content. Plus, don't you think there are "services" out there that can launder money for a fee? Of course there are.

Re: Bank Robbers Steal Worthless £50m

jim — Sat, 25 Feb 2006 18:07:53 -0000

I'll take a worthless $85M any day... :)

Re: Two Remiders: Carnival and Giveaway

jim — Thu, 23 Feb 2006 13:31:55 -0000

Only if I am... :)

Re: Two Remiders: Carnival and Giveaway

jim — Wed, 22 Feb 2006 19:40:31 -0000

Let the drama begin!

Re: Inflation In The Movies

jim — Wed, 22 Feb 2006 19:43:09 -0000

"Either Dr. Evil was a bit of a piker or the cryogenics had frosted some of his brain cells."

Haha, that's a best line from that article.

Re: Honda Hybrid at $10,000

jim — Wed, 22 Feb 2006 19:41:25 -0000

Do you not accept trackbacks or did I just not send one about this?

Re: Cell Phones and Radiation

jim — Wed, 22 Feb 2006 19:45:10 -0000

My phone didn't make the list but Samsung doesn't appear in the top ten, mostly Motorolas.

Re: Comcast Neglected To Mention

jim — Sun, 19 Feb 2006 17:21:43 -0000

One day, out of the blue, after a year of operation my cable modem suddenly wasn't good enough for Comcast's network. It took a week until they were able to come out and diagnose the problem but I honestly don't understand why my Motorola Surfboard couldn't be used on their network anymore. I'm not a fan of Comcast but they're a monopoly around here so we don't have a choice.

Re: Ben Stein Protects America

jim — Thu, 16 Feb 2006 18:32:57 -0000

The dream isn't a promise, not everyone who strives to become fantastically wealthy and successful will reach that goal.

Re: 5% APY on 12-Month CDs!

jim — Thu, 16 Feb 2006 03:36:33 -0000

If nothing else, do the ladder with $500 each to start. Plus, your money isn't stuck there forever (impossible to withdraw) so it's semi-liquid if you really do have a dire emergency...

Re: 5% APY on 12-Month CDs!

jim — Wed, 15 Feb 2006 13:36:14 -0000

The pain is all in the first step of the ladder, once you start the laddering of CDs process it's not as bad to put money in. Coming up with $5,000 for one step of the ladder can be a little much though. :)

Re: Seven Tax Mistakes You Might Make, Part 2

jim — Wed, 15 Feb 2006 13:45:11 -0000

Unfortunately we can't act on tips #3 and $4 anymore, since the cutoffs for those would've been 12/31/05. Good to keep in mind though!

Re: Time To Buy Gold Or Not?

jim — Wed, 15 Feb 2006 04:17:27 -0000

Buy Google!

Re: Financial Responsibility More Important Than Hot Sex

jim — Wed, 15 Feb 2006 04:18:34 -0000

Wow those jokes are terrible. hahaha

Re: Where Should Teens Stash Their Cash?

jim — Wed, 15 Feb 2006 04:19:30 -0000

Emergency fund? No way, Roth first then emergency fund. Your parents are your emergency fund...

Re: First Look: Ev’reward

jim — Sat, 11 Feb 2006 16:47:51 -0000

Amazon is now on the list but no offer, that's because to be part of their affiliate program you can't offer an incentives to buy via your link (i.e. rewards).

Re: First Impression: The Automatic Millionaire Homeowner by David Bach

jim — Thu, 02 Feb 2006 13:31:52 -0000

I'm surprised they sent it out that early in its development, you'd think they'd at least wait until they were closer than the excerpt seemed to show....

Re: Roth 401(k) Not For Everyone

jim — Thu, 02 Feb 2006 13:29:21 -0000

I'd do the Roth 401k if my company offered it but unfortunately they don't.

Re: Festival is Up!

jim — Thu, 02 Feb 2006 13:32:22 -0000

Thanks for linking to the FoF!

Re: My Money Blogger Podcast Interview

jim — Thu, 02 Feb 2006 13:34:04 -0000

I'm scheduled to talk to him tonight... hope it all goes smoothly. I think I sound so much different when I'm recorded.

Re: Tax Filing Time, I’m Going To Owe

jim — Thu, 26 Jan 2006 03:32:04 -0000

The downside of having not given the government a tax free loan is that now you'll need to pay estimated quarterly taxes. You can get away with owing money on that revenue if you had a surplus a year before (a lot of people have withholding increased a little at their day job) but since you owe, you'll have to calculate those payments.

Re: False Tax Returns Cost NYC Millions

jim — Wed, 25 Jan 2006 12:39:14 -0000

Unbelievable... I tried to search for Cohen in their db but he doesn't appear. Maybe he's not even a professor and made that part up?

Re: Apparently I’m Retiring Soon

jim — Wed, 25 Jan 2006 12:48:49 -0000

This reminds me of how people would put false information (or modify their address) and figure out where spam was coming from. So they put Ave instead of St. (when their address really was a St.) on one application so they could track every piece of spam to Ave to one source. Too much work though... but you accidentally have info on how AARP got you.

Re: Next Book Review – Blink by Malcolm Gladwell

jim — Tue, 10 Jan 2006 12:31:33 -0000

When you're done with Blink, I recommend Tipping Point too if you haven't read it yet.

Re: Merrill Lynch Broker Allegedly Steals $320,000

jim — Fri, 06 Jan 2006 13:38:22 -0000

Wow, that's over $10,000/check... it's unfortunate that people take advantage of less tech-savvy consumers who can't just check their balances electronically.

Re: Employment Trends in 2006

jim — Thu, 05 Jan 2006 00:51:04 -0000

Good trends but I'm wary of believing the numbers given by Salary.com.

Re: Rebate Scams

jim — Tue, 03 Jan 2006 12:09:18 -0000

Anyone remember CyberRebates? :)

Re: Happy New Year!

jim — Mon, 02 Jan 2006 17:35:34 -0000

Happy new year buddy!

Re: How To Achieve 100,000 Visitors

jim — Sat, 31 Dec 2005 00:59:38 -0000

I just hit reload 100,000 times just so I wouldn't have to read horse-sex stories on your blog in the future.

If this comment isn't moderated, I'd check your spam checker because horse-sex probably should be a spam keyword. :)

Re: Postage Rates and Online Stamps

jim — Sat, 31 Dec 2005 01:02:16 -0000

You can buy stamps online from stamp collectors for less than their value in postage (stamps never expire).

http://www.bargaineering.com/articles/how-to-buy-stamps-under-face-value.html

Also, printed postage, regardless of weight, can be mailed via the blue boxes whereas if you use regular stamps, anything over 16 oz. must be taken to a teller.

If you misweigh it and don't put on enough postage, the PO will return it to the return address but the postage is still valid, just slap on some more.

(I used to be a PowerSeller back in college so I knew all the little tricks to save that precious beer drinking time)

Re: My Investment Holdings

jim — Wed, 28 Dec 2005 15:25:31 -0000

Emerging market funds have been great the last two years and the auto-rebalancing every quarter is a really nice feature of your 401(k).

The only thing I'd do different is, at 29, perhaps you put a higher percentage is small/mid cap or emerging mkt funds. Overall it seems like a high percentage of your retirement savings is in large cap funds. I'd also buy a ton of google. :)

Re: Best Of 2005

jim — Fri, 23 Dec 2005 19:46:45 -0000

You've been a credit ot the personal finance blogosphere buddy, especially with the creation of the Carnival of Personal Finance, that thing's really blossomed. 570 entries!

Re: Predictive Product Markets

jim — Fri, 23 Dec 2005 15:14:44 -0000

Perhaps they should modify their algorithm to include time (time at #1) or retireat30 will dominate forever! :)

Re: Congress Raises Student Loan Interest Rates

jim — Fri, 23 Dec 2005 15:36:18 -0000

The lack of engineers is not the fault of the US government, it's the fault of US companies and a child of the capitalist society we live in. Interest rates on loans of practically all kinds are at historic lows these last few years and the last few years is where we've seen the major slowdown in graduating engineers, so it's not the loans.

Re: Congress Raises Student Loan Interest Rates

jim — Thu, 22 Dec 2005 20:20:52 -0000

I was under the impression the interest rates were going to be raised anyway.

Re: Just Arrived: Quinn’s Smart and Simple

jim — Thu, 22 Dec 2005 02:14:55 -0000

I feel like the kid that was never invited to the party... I got The Number but none since. Boo! I hate those books already!

Re: Efficient and Frugal Food Shopping

jim — Wed, 21 Dec 2005 18:13:33 -0000

My "bring lunch in" strategy was also short-lived. I started it whenever I knew I'd need to save money to buy a house but then it died whenever I moved in with my friend for a month and lived out of a suitcase and boxes. Ever since I've been eating out... maybe it's going to be a new years resolution or something. :)

Re: Consumerism Commentary RSS Feeds

jim — Mon, 19 Dec 2005 11:40:57 -0000

This is a great idea... I think I might steal it. :)

Re: Backfired Bankruptcy Bill

jim — Sat, 10 Dec 2005 22:09:31 -0000

I agree that both sides are to blame and I have sympathy for neither side. Creditors hire actuaries who run the numbers and they know where they can make money, they won't give you a card if they don't think you can pay - just ask someone with bad credit if they can get an unsecured card. Creditor card companies earn billions and they know that each new customer is worth X dollars (look at all the offers they have!).

On the flip side, if you can't demonstrate financial restraint and put yourself in a bad position - I'm sorry, get yourself out. Read NCN's blog (and alot of blogs out there) and see that responsible people who make mistakes will work hard to rectify them.

Re: It’s Budget Crunch Time

jim — Sat, 10 Dec 2005 22:10:29 -0000

I have two finals coming up but no papers. Good luck everyone!

Re: Bank of America’s Keep The Change

jim — Sat, 03 Dec 2005 03:58:16 -0000

Your blog's look changes more often than a girl changes outfits. :) I do like this one over that brownish one you had running a while ago.

Anyway, I blogged about this too and added an analysis of what purchase amount you'd need to make this deal beat a regular 1% credit card:
http://www.bargaineering.com/articles/cashback-with-a-twist-amex-and-boa.html

( Talk about Amex One too )

Re: Bat-Mitzvah For The Rich And Not Really Famous

jim — Wed, 30 Nov 2005 02:21:16 -0000

Dude has $10M to spend and the vest were recently de-certified right? Amazing...

Re: Review of The Number by Lee Eisenberg, Part 1

jim — Tue, 29 Nov 2005 11:51:03 -0000

I received a copy of the book too and found it very interesting but it mirrored the New York Magazine article he wrote very very closely. Perhaps it would be of value to compare the differences or explain how the book expanded on some topics (like his take on what type of number people are)?

Re: Ten Percent of Income Over One Hundred Thousand Dollars

jim — Mon, 27 Nov 2006 22:58:29 -0000

Terry - you don't get points for the pledge, it's the thought that counts.

Re: Gift Giving Among a Circle of Friends

jim — Wed, 23 Nov 2005 18:54:44 -0000

My group of friends do Secret Santa out of almost necessity because the general group is around 20 people, it's prohibitively expensive to buy everyone a gift unless it's a small one. Part of the fun in Secret Santa are the gag gifts and watching reactions...

Re: Interview With Flexo

jim — Wed, 23 Nov 2005 18:52:09 -0000

Thanks for the "shout-out" Flexo! :)

Cheers and happy thanksgiving buddy,
jim

Re: The Cat Is Out Of The Bag

jim — Thu, 17 Nov 2005 03:57:41 -0000

The press is nice and I ran into the similar issue when NYT interviewed me, luckily my name is really common and they were okay with me never telling them my employer. It's kind of crappy they revealed your name even though you asked them not to (I acquised to the NYT, because, well, they're the NYT).

Re: One Year of AdSense, Welcome Elliott Wave International

jim — Tue, 08 Nov 2005 17:28:15 -0000

I was a fan of the last incarnation, that lasted maybe two days, where the text was a lighter green...

Re: One Year of AdSense, Welcome Elliott Wave International

jim — Tue, 08 Nov 2005 04:10:58 -0000

What major events correspond with those revenue spikes? (if you know)

Re: Reasonable and Customary?

jim — Mon, 07 Nov 2005 19:59:32 -0000

It'll cost me $264 to get two teeth removed so it looks like our prices are inline...

Re: Google AdSense Referral Program

jim — Sun, 06 Nov 2005 17:53:19 -0000

Haha, Nickel, I was the one who sent him an invitation. :)

Re: Commissions Still High

jim — Thu, 27 Oct 2005 01:10:34 -0000

As an aside, check out Brown Co., the commissions on a market order is only $5.

Re: Balance Transfer Not Accepted

jim — Fri, 21 Oct 2005 20:08:58 -0000

Hmmm glad I didn't get in nickedI accidentally double paid a bill a few months ago.

Re: Balance Transfer Not Accepted

jim — Fri, 21 Oct 2005 13:53:22 -0000

I have an MBNA card and they have Bill Pay, try using the bill pay to pay another credit card that will allow you to receive a check for the balance. I've accidentally done this successfully.

Re: Cleaning House

jim — Tue, 20 Sep 2005 12:25:56 -0000

Thanks for the mention and the congratulatory remarks Flexo. :)

Re: ShareBuilder $50 Promotion Updated

jim — Fri, 09 Sep 2005 11:21:42 -0000

I wanted to agree with Rabi and also add that you should project your earnings this year and see if you have any major changes (such as website revenue, side projects, etc) as that will affect your marginal tax rate (maybe not enough to change it, but one can hope right?)

Re: Frugal Wines

jim — Thu, 11 Aug 2005 17:20:32 -0000

My friends bought a bottle of port from Brotherhood Winery - i don't know how much it cost but it was pretty good.

Re: Frugal Hotels?

jim — Fri, 29 Jul 2005 12:18:55 -0000

If you read the article further (and ignore the blatantly inflamatory title), they're talking about not changing the sheets during a stay but definitely between stays. I think it makes perfect sense, I don't change my sheets at home every night.

Re: Career Advice

jim — Thu, 21 Jul 2005 13:14:24 -0000

I have a video of Flexo and I'm for for $1M I will spare humanity the untold horrors that would follow its release.

Re: News Corp Buys The Internet

jim — Tue, 19 Jul 2005 18:42:50 -0000

Broadcast.com rocks!

You're buying the membership and the reach, not the site itself... I think that's how companies get around the whole "privacy policy" issue of not selling your info.

Re: Welcome

jim — Mon, 18 Jul 2005 13:16:17 -0000

Congrats on getting the mention!

Re: The $5 Timing Error

jim — Wed, 06 Jul 2005 22:57:39 -0000

Try asking them if they'd waive it, chances are they probably will.

Re: Another Week, Another Carnival

jim — Tue, 05 Jul 2005 16:28:26 -0000

Hitting on all cylinders today eh? :)

Re: The Urge to Merge

jim — Thu, 30 Jun 2005 19:55:46 -0000

There's competition amongst credit card companies for your business, just look at the rise of cashback rebates. I remember when Discover was the forerunner with 1%, now you can get 5%!

Re: Blogging For (Fun and) Profit

jim — Wed, 29 Jun 2005 12:10:22 -0000

Depends on how badly they need the money... I was approached to write a review of GBI Home Finance Manager in return for a free three month trial. The guy never emailed me back after a brief exchange and then they made the service free... so had I blogged about it, would it have been an advertisement if the product they sent me eventually was made free?

If it sucked, I would've written a bad review because the website isn't my day job. :)

Re: Eminent Domain Rules Officially Changed

jim — Thu, 23 Jun 2005 23:58:58 -0000

This is especially bad in recent times because of the skyrocketing housing prices (ignoring the gross unfairness factor). Lots of folks can't afford to "upgrade" homes in the first place... so anyone caught by "eminent domain" (unfair or otherwise) would be double screwed.

Re: Time to Consolidate

jim — Mon, 27 Jun 2005 16:39:15 -0000

You're going to get the same degree as Shaq!

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2005/basketball/nba/06/25/shaq.masters.ap/index.html?cnn=yes

Re: PayPal Alternative – Not GreenZap

jim — Thu, 23 Jun 2005 19:36:15 -0000

Might be interested to know, Google said they weren't planning on competing with Paypal.

"We do not intend to offer a person-to-person, stored-value payments system," Schmidt said during an interview with The Associated Press."

article

I suppose we'll just have to see what happens.

Re: Generous USians

jim — Tue, 14 Jun 2005 21:10:43 -0000

I was thinking of writing an article about this too but didn't have the time... but throw in blood donation as well, we're in need of O and B blood types these days.

Re: Today’s Articles and News

jim — Wed, 08 Jun 2005 20:44:53 -0000

I'm tired of people looking at the $300 part of their stock valuation and shuddering. People should be staring at the market cap, which exceeds that of Time Warner, and be shuddering because of that. A share of Class A Berkshire Hathaway is $83,000, the actual share price is meaningless.

Re: Green Zapped

jim — Thu, 09 Jun 2005 00:05:06 -0000

GreenZap's going to collapse if this is their marketing strategy. They're creating bad vibes with the "bogus" bonus money. That's like ING saying "here's $25, you can only use it to offset your taxes."

Thanks for the warning

Re: Money Magazine’s 50 Smartest Things

jim — Wed, 08 Jun 2005 11:58:23 -0000

That's where the savings in cost of automating their customer service actually cost them a customer...

Re: Class Action Lawsuit?

jim — Thu, 26 May 2005 12:08:05 -0000

I've had that scenario in the opposite way - I had an AT&T Wireless bill for 50 cents once and I never paid it off (they don't charge late fees and they tried to screw me over). Eventually they wrote it off as a "Small Balance Writeoff" so they wouldn't have to send me any more bills.

Flexo - I like the new layout but I can't find a search box anymore. I'm also running the "NiceTitle" js snippets too, it's nice.

Re: Most and Least Affordable Cities

jim — Mon, 23 May 2005 15:58:21 -0000

Baltimore, like every major metropolitan area, has some really really nice areas and some downright crime-ridden, scary places. Some of the housing prices have become absolutely ridiculous but the cost of living in general is pretty low and reasonable. I like it in Baltimore and the uppity DC folks are just around the corner. :)

Re: Most Prolific Commentators

jim — Wed, 15 Feb 2006 04:23:17 -0000

I just took first!

Re: Most Prolific Commentators

jim — Thu, 19 May 2005 22:01:36 -0000

By the way, the answer is yes. :)

Re: Most Prolific Commentators

jim — Thu, 19 May 2005 22:01:05 -0000

Is that automated?

Re: Wall Street Journal Offers Some Free Content

jim — Thu, 19 May 2005 22:04:19 -0000

I just locked in a rate on the home I'm buying, I think I'm going to try to get in on the 0% BT action despite writing an article warning against it.

If anyone is interested in reading it, it's available here. (but I don't think it'll add more if you've read Terris' article)

Re: Bring In Da Noise, Bring In Da Lunch

jim — Tue, 17 May 2005 13:32:06 -0000

I bring my lunch in for four days and eat out on Fridays, I find that you save a ton of money and it's better for your health.

Re: Compound Interest is More Powerful Than You Know

jim — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 11:24:13 -0000

Thanks for the opportunity Flexo!

Re: Airline Baggage Fees Increasing in Popularity

jim — Wed, 13 May 2009 09:07:49 -0000

People just don't like being nickel and dimed, especially when not all airlines charge for checked baggage and the cost isn't uniform. It makes it difficult to make a quick equal comparison between two things that should be substitutes. I understand that we've always been paying for it but it's like medical insurance, some people subsidize others and in the end everyone wins without feeling ripped off.

That being said, I'm glad the option is there. If an airline can't stay solvent without these types of fees, I think it's a necessary evil if you want the choice of carrier.

Re: Twitter Poll: Will You Be Spending More or Less Than Last Year on Gifts?

jim — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 10:39:36 -0000

I was being a little facetious but I'll probably spend a little more than last year, we've never been huge gift givers so we might use this time to take advantage of good deals.

Re: Stock Market in Sharp Decline, Stocks on Sale?

jim — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 12:57:36 -0000

I had some funds in my Vanguard account sitting in an MMA waiting for the right opportunity, it's long term money that just hadn't found a home yet... I put it in to the 500 Index yesterday after close. As nice as the 3% pop has been today, who knows what can happen and I'm not counting any eggs, chickens, or even the coop for another year or two.

Re: Something You Never Want to See in Quicken

jim — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 23:54:53 -0000

That's a really expensive donut.

Re: Diddy Says: Lower Gas Prices So I Can Fly My Private Jet!

jim — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 23:28:56 -0000

It's a joke.

Re: Thieves Smashed Into My Car and Stole $700 Worth of Stuff

jim — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 11:10:02 -0000

Sorry to hear that man, too bad about the insurance bit too but fortunately it wasn't a mugging or anything horrible like that. When I go into Baltimore, I never leave anything in my car for this very reason. I had a friend leave a baseball mitt, a $25 baseball mitt, in his back seat and someone broke in just to steal that.

Re: Labor Day Blog Roundup: Smoking, Sins, and Index Funds

jim — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 11:10:53 -0000

Thanks for the linklove!

Re: Sleep Makes You Healthier and Smarter

jim — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 13:56:55 -0000

I think it's funny that some people think everyone is just like them.. it's also amazing that those people get as far as they do.

Re: Telemarketers Can’t Talk to the Dead

jim — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 10:59:24 -0000

That's a clever idea... I haven't gotten many calls though since putting myself on the opt out list.

Re: Can You Eliminate $500 of Your Expenses Each Month?

jim — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 08:39:29 -0000

One thing to watch out for is over-optimizing. You don't want to ratchet things back that you have a backlash and go on some spree as a release from your self imposed optimizations. For example, you decide to stop buying something in bulk to cut it out but instead randomly buy the same items, at higher ala carte prices... something like that can easily happen.

Re: Inspect Your Home Inspector

jim — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 08:09:34 -0000

Wow that sucks, I had no idea they didn't have to be licensed. I was always under the impression that the inspector had to get the OK from the lender if you were borrowing funds because ultimately they're on the hook if everything falls through the cracks (then again, tons of unqualified borrowers got loans so I bet that was just a checkbox on a form). I'm glad I didn't have similar problems here in Maryland.

Re: Twitter Poll: How Much Do You Have in Your Emergency Fund?

jim — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 21:05:00 -0000

Booo... you missed me, i put 9 months. That's ok though, Twitter can sometimes be a bit unmanageable when you get a lot of responses.

i take it back, there I am... I didn't look for bargainr :)

Re: The Envelope at Work: Do You Give (In)?

jim — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 09:02:55 -0000

We never had an envelope but I would sign the card that went around and separately get a small gift. I think to have a list with people crossing off their name or writing in a dollar amount is tacky.

Re: Apologies to Internet Explorer Users: SiteMeter Broke Consumerism Commentary

jim — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 10:43:31 -0000

Your welcome Flexo, btw, it was my friend Fred at http://oneprojectcloser.com who told me about it first.

Re: McCain Proposes Summer Gas Tax Holiday (Again)

jim — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 10:05:51 -0000

18 cents on a $4 gallon only increases the time we stay reliant on foreign oil... thanks but no thanks

Re: Wall Street Journal Podcast: Professional Blogging

jim — Thu, 22 May 2008 15:26:21 -0000

Congratulations man, good interview.

RE: klerg - it hits the DB every pageload unless you have caching installed/turned on... mySQL can't handle a lot of connections.

Re: Fortune Magazine’s Best Stocks for 2008: Last December’s Prediction

jim — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 11:42:56 -0000

Travelin Man beat me to the punch! :)

Re: Unintended Consequences and Money

jim — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 09:51:26 -0000

Great post! :)

Re: Festival of Frugality #119: The Quitting My Day Job to Blog Full Time Edition

jim — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 10:59:38 -0000

BTW, I did not read until the end... but I still think you should quit. :)

Re: Festival of Frugality #119: The Quitting My Day Job to Blog Full Time Edition

jim — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 10:59:03 -0000

If this is a joke... I'm going to stab you. hahah

If not, congratulations man.

Re: I’m in San Francisco for a Few Days, So Read These Blogs

jim — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 09:29:10 -0000

Thanks for the link love man!

Re: Tax Rebate Calculator Updated (and Blog Roundup)

jim — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 10:14:17 -0000

Thanks for the link man!

Re: A Case of Really Bad Timing

jim — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 07:09:50 -0000

I think that solution makes sense, let the $5k go perhaps until next year or even farther down the road. Ultimately you want the funds to appreciate (otherwise you would've contributed directly to the charity!) so give them some time.

You might want to forgo contributing to the fund in the first place for short term contributions.

Re: A Case of Really Bad Timing

jim — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 15:42:38 -0000

I think you should treat it like any investment account except that instead of selling you will donate it, so perhaps this 5000 should what you plan to donate in 2009? That way you don't let these swings affect you.

Re: Early Morning Roundup: $500 in Coins

jim — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 08:02:02 -0000

Yeah, I'm glad I'm a Vanguard customer too; they have sharp people there.

Re: Small-Time Philanthropy: The Charitable Gift Fund

jim — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 08:02:50 -0000

I think this is a great idea! I might do this next year, gives you a lot more flexibility.

Re: There Are Things I Will Not Write About

jim — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 08:05:55 -0000

Copulation commentary... hahaha, the most boring blog ever. :)

Re: UPS Stealth Delivery

jim — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 18:59:42 -0000

I just bought a whole bunch of stuff at Monoprice too, those prices are absolutely awesome.

Re: Chase TravelPlus Visa Card: 0% APR for 12 Months

jim — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 08:25:57 -0000

Beware of the $29 annual fee and the 3% balance transfer fee, min $5, max $99.00.

Re: Retirement Income Rule of Thumb Debunked

jim — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 16:19:02 -0000

I think rules of thumb are always a little tricky, my thumb isn't the same as your thumb. :)

Re: Weekly Blog Roundup, Fall Season Edition

jim — Sun, 16 Sep 2007 09:45:30 -0000

Well... everything matters, little or big, right?

Re: Quicken: Schedule This Payment?

jim — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 09:01:45 -0000

Hi!

Re: The Simple Dollar Will Host the Carnival

jim — Sat, 03 Feb 2007 08:36:45 -0000

groan

Re: Planning and Goal Setting Week: The Basics

jim — Fri, 29 Dec 2006 16:55:43 -0000

I think stretch goals are key and they should be attainable yet difficult to do so. That doesn't mean that your "regular" goals should be a cakewalk though, it's about striking that fine balance. I see regular goals as things I want to make sure I accomplish as a group and stretch goals as those that are attainable but require a significant amount of additional effort. You don't want to hit a stretch at the cost of hitting a regular.

Re: Planning and Goal Setting Week: Share Your Goals

jim — Tue, 26 Dec 2006 13:11:53 -0000

What about yours?

Re: Fund 2007 Roth IRA in One Lump Sum?

jim — Thu, 21 Dec 2006 15:24:57 -0000

One thing to consider, and hopefully you have this problem, is if you find yourself getting close to the 95k phaseout range in income then you'll have to pay penalties for over-contributing to your Roth and deal with the hassles of withdrawing some of it and settling the difference in earnings (that you accrued during the year on funds you shouldn't have contributed in the first place).

Just something to keep in mind but otherwise I'm all for contributing in a lump sum at the beginning of the year.

Re: Whining About the Lack of Interest in Their House?

jim — Fri, 01 Dec 2006 23:20:25 -0000

I'm waiting for the comic book market to turn around too and I'm getting desperate... I'm waiting for a fair bid on my collection one day. Maybe CNN Money can help. :)

Re: Today was “Cyber Monday.” Did You Spend?

jim — Mon, 27 Nov 2006 17:03:11 -0000

I spent nothing too and I agree that it's just a myth... I didn't see any sales close to the deals on Black Friday (and I didn't get anything on BF either because I'm not getting up at 5am to fight with people over things anymore).

Re: Bad News for Affiliated Computer Services

jim — Mon, 27 Nov 2006 22:56:57 -0000

These guys service my student loans too, it's amazing how bad these options scams have been lately.

Re: Caption Contest: George W. Bush

jim — Sun, 05 Nov 2006 19:40:12 -0000

Gimme my freaking cookie :)

Re: Caption Contest: George W. Bush

jim — Sun, 05 Nov 2006 19:39:44 -0000

And this is how I rub my two brain cells together...

I challenge anyone to top that one.

Re: Upcoming Review: The Smartest Investment Book You’ll Ever Read

jim — Sun, 05 Nov 2006 19:42:04 -0000

You should tell this publisher that you know of other bloggers who like to review books. :)

Re: Want to Buy an e-book on eBay? Check Here First.

jim — Sun, 05 Nov 2006 19:43:26 -0000

Hahaha this is a great idea.

Re: OT: Just Arrived Home From the Mets Game (They Won!)

jim — Fri, 06 Oct 2006 09:25:16 -0000

You lucky dog! I don't think the chances of the Mets taking it all is very high with Pedro and El Duque out but yesterday was a strong showing.

Re: Personal Income Statement, September 2006 (Net Income: $4,200)

jim — Fri, 20 Oct 2006 16:28:13 -0000

Unfortunately you won't have to do that anymore.... :(

Re: Win Prizes at Consumerism Commentary During October!

jim — Fri, 29 Sep 2006 13:28:43 -0000

Am I eligible?

Re: What Should I Do With My Side Business Income?

jim — Fri, 29 Sep 2006 10:53:22 -0000

I'd pay back the family member, only becuase it's family, and then save the rest for a downpayment on a house.

Re: Welcome, Kiplinger’s Readers

jim — Wed, 13 Sep 2006 17:37:04 -0000

That's awesome man, congrats, how'd you find out? anyone else mentioned?

Re: No More Promotional Price for Comcast High-Speed Internet

jim — Fri, 01 Sep 2006 09:30:31 -0000

Just cancel and get your girlfriend to sign up for you, you can get the $75 rebate again too.

Re: New Home for the Carnival of Personal Finance

jim — Wed, 30 Aug 2006 15:23:08 -0000

I'm about to do the same with the festival, I'd like to use it as a way to highlight good submissions and good hostings without creating too much "noise."

Re: Ford Needs Gimmicks to Sell Their Cars

jim — Thu, 24 Aug 2006 10:10:47 -0000

They need to put gimmicks in while they're design teams try to figure out how to create a car people will buy. The lead time for a design to be built is something ridiculous so until then these are just stopgap measures.

Re: Is The MBA Worthwhile?

jim — Thu, 12 May 2005 14:48:09 -0000

I think van makes a good point, an online course is a different animal than a classroom course... while it may be challenging and difficult, the classroom interaction is critical for an MBA. That's why I think any full time program trumps a part time program all other things being equal.

Re: Be Aware of ATM Card Skimming

jim — Wed, 11 May 2005 04:10:29 -0000

You shouldn't be using random ass ATM's anyway, they're ripping you off even if they don't have that hidden camera skimming your account number and PIN. :)

Re: Today’s Interesting Items

jim — Wed, 04 May 2005 01:41:01 -0000

The negotation article is a good read, I recommend it.

Re: Car Insurance Depression

jim — Mon, 02 May 2005 19:51:12 -0000

NJ is notorious for horrible insurance - the fact that people fly at 85 mph bumper-to-bumper on the NJ Turnpike probably doesn't help underwriters sleep at night. My girlfriend recently moved there and since the car was titled in VA by her and her mother, she's keeping her insurance in VA. Geico only recently started insuring NJ drivers...

Re: Emigrant Direct Limiting Features

jim — Wed, 27 Apr 2005 16:08:48 -0000

Doing it completely online is the only way to go. If you had to wait for the mail to be delivered and the check to clear before the deposit hit, you'd be losing quite a large percentage of your interest (in transport).

Re: 401(k) Getting Whacked By The Market?

jim — Tue, 19 Apr 2005 02:53:45 -0000

My 401(k) is getting murdered but this is solid advice. It's a retirement account... let it do it's thing. If you believed in the S&P's 11% historic return, keep believing in it. :)

Re: Friendly IRA Reminder

jim — Thu, 14 Apr 2005 01:51:24 -0000

You may want to modify your original post to say Roth IRA... it might confuse people otherwise.

jim

Re: Buy a Toyota Prius New or Used

jim — Mon, 11 Apr 2005 17:56:43 -0000

I wonder how often in the history of automobiles has a car actually risen in value a handful of years after its sale (this, of course, DQ's antique cars).

The original owner also gets the benefit of tax breaks on green cars (something the second owner doesn't get) in addition to the "appreciation" of the car.

Re: Regularly Scheduled Auto Maintenance

jim — Tue, 05 Apr 2005 13:36:51 -0000

"Itâ€™s probably all psychological."

Trust your instincts dude... :)

Hey, at least you know for next time, imagine if you had done this for like forty years straight and only discovered it forty years later... then you'd really be pissed.

Re: Paying For Convenience

jim — Fri, 01 Apr 2005 18:39:36 -0000

I'll bite... can I get a referral? Thanks dude.

Re: Score a Good Hotel Rate

jim — Sun, 20 Mar 2005 02:49:41 -0000

Put down another vote for Priceline and the site Biddingfortravel. They have lists of what hotels in an area fall into which star category, so you can score some nice hotels for really cheap. Using Biddingfortravel for information is absolutely clutch.

Re: My Investments

jim — Fri, 18 Mar 2005 04:04:21 -0000

Wachovia is an expensive place to put your money. :)

Re: Search for Low Fares

jim — Wed, 16 Mar 2005 02:41:18 -0000

Nice little tool, doesn't just slap another face on the same network used by Travelocity/Expedia/etc. Still missing out on the joys of Southwest, FlyI, and some other low cost carriers. One plus over Travelocity/Expedia/etc is that you don't have to pay a $5 service charge (at least for the AirTran fare I looked at) "built into" the fare.

Re: Taking a Hit to My Net Worth

jim — Mon, 14 Mar 2005 12:23:37 -0000

I don't quite know why... but Websense identifies consumerismcommentary.com as in the category of "Sex."

Re: The New Bankruptcy Bill

jim — Thu, 10 Mar 2005 16:35:34 -0000

"Advocacy groups claim that itâ€™s a gift to credit card companies, who stand to gain $1 billion or more."

I think they should make a point that the $1B isn't really a gift, it's money that's owed to them anyway by foolish and irresponsible spenders. Making it harder for people to run up debt and simply run out on responsibility is a good thing. Credit card companies never forced anyone to use their cards.

Re: Suze Orman: Young, Fabulous and Decidedly Not Broke

jim — Thu, 10 Mar 2005 00:01:52 -0000

Great idea to live-blog... I enjoyed it.

Re: No Money? Buy a Home!

jim — Fri, 11 Mar 2005 18:30:33 -0000

Paul,
I liked that article you posted and I like how it gave pros AND cons. I'm looking into getting a home and I'll no doubt reference that article if I look into interest only mortgages in the future.

Re: Personal Finance Blogs in the News

jim — Fri, 04 Mar 2005 01:29:57 -0000

What? No mention of the kind gentleman who nominated you? :)

Re: Friday Smackdown: Total Mechanizerot

jim — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 21:58:51 -0000

As the author of the 13 tips, I have to say neither contract killing or baking qualifies as quick. :)

Re: Marketplace radio appearance

jim — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 07:22:40 -0000

It was a pleasure chatting and a lot of fun! :)

Re: oh no they di’int

jim — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 19:09:56 -0000

A couple House Republicans did. :)

Re: have MBAs been devalued by the crisis?

jim — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 16:11:44 -0000

Yeah I think an MBA will have less value but I think there are two reasons for that:
1) Every business school is offering an MBA. One from harvard or Wharton will still carry weight, along with the network of business contacts, but one from some random place... nah, not anymore.
2) Financial companies are hurting, so the demand for MBAs will be lower as is their value to a company simply because the pie is smaller.

Re: the math hurts

jim — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 10:56:50 -0000

Hmmm that is a sobering thought though... 11 years just to make it back to 2007? Wow.

You have the unfortunate luck of being whalloped by equities AND international because of the dollar strengthening (or should I say, other currencies weakening faster than we are)... yikes.

Re: I am amazed

jim — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 09:56:52 -0000

It's a pleasant reminder that this is still America. The contestants in this Presidential election and primaries was simply a testament to our diversity. You had a woman and a black man as the two leading candidates of the Democratic Presidential primary, you had a Mormon and a 72 year old man as the leading candidates of the Republican Presidential primary... THEN you had the winners of each contest plus a female VP candidate of a party often painted as a bunch of old white men.

I have to say the whole process, not just the final result, was amazing in its own right.

Re: %EZEAzrcBTB%

jim — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 14:58:38 -0000

Very well put.

Re: alea jacta est

jim — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 23:59:58 -0000

You're right, it's amazing how things change so quickly and how we have to make decisions in a period of time we probably don't think is long enough. Though, I find that my best decisions when I have the least amount of time. One good thing is that the process has been fast and not drawn out, right?

Re: How to Get the Most Value out of Twitter Links

jim — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 09:45:14 -0000

I like the idea of tagging the link itself and having it capture tag metadata, rather than using hashtags, that alone would be a good improvement over the current shortening.

Re: Social Media Banned from College Stadiums

jim — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 13:39:05 -0000

I think they have to put it in the agreement if they ever want to stop someone from doing something they don't like in the future, like broadcast a stream of the game from their iphone. It's one of those "we don't know what we don't like, so we throw this line in there," I doubt they will ever enforce it to prevent someone from tweeting that the Gators just scored a TD.

Re: Gary Vaynerchuk - You can have both….Jobs. Way to many people out...

jim — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 10:53:51 -0000

If you aren't as passionate about your online empire as you are about your television shows, movies, or video games... you shouldn't go full time. You should find something that you love so much you'd rather do it than watch TV.

zach - My dad came to the US on a student visa and a one way ticket from Taiwan, because he could only afford a one way ticket. When asked what would happen if things didn't work out, he asked "why wouldn't it work out?" It's a modern day story of Cortez burning his ships. It sounds like a lot of our fathers did that, kudos to you!

Re: Gary Vaynerchuk - Stop crying, think, wipe your tear and crush it! ...

jim — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 23:39:07 -0000

We live in the United States of America, the best freaking place on the planet. You can start a business in your boxers sitting at home, you don't have to bribe some official for some BS license, you don't have to deal with government corruption, and you don't have to fear that some band of roving lunatics is going to bust down your door and steal everything you've worked hard to achieve. The United States is a beautiful place and I'm thankful every day that I was born here, that my parents emigrated here on a dream, because there are plenty of other places that are not as forgiving.

Re: Gary Vaynerchuk - Half pregnant with Scott Simon of NPR Today i...

jim — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 14:30:39 -0000

One thing I've always believed is that you have to pick a direction and go with it, either you're about social media branding or you're not. It's like a DB in football, either you're going at the QB or you're back in coverage... you can't be in the middle. If you're in the middle, you get nothing! You don't pressure the QB, you don't cover the wideout, you're stuck in the middle and you're dead.

Re: Gary Vaynerchuk - It’s not stalking, it’s a darn handshake. Gary...

jim — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 20:22:23 -0000

I think twitter has really helped introverts reach out to new people. It's hard to insert yourself into a conversation at a conference if you know no one, it's much easier to twitter from the safety and comfort of your home.

Re: Gary Vaynerchuk - The Best part of all this isn’t the Business or...

jim — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 11:34:36 -0000

It was great meeting you at Elite Retreat, fun getting called out in the crowd (that's what you get when you make eye contact haha), it's what life's all about man.

Re: Picking Warren Buffett’s Brain: Notes from a Novice

jim — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 09:02:37 -0000

Great notes, thanks for sharing them.

WRT how I would invest, I think that unless you're willing to get knee deep in investing and doing lots of reading, you have to go with an index fund. Many mutual funds judge their performance and manager alpha vs. indices and a majority of the actively managed funds lag indices. If the majority of professional managers with their resources cannot beat their benchmark, how could you do it consistently and hold down a full time job? (even if it were only 4 hrs a week?) Index funds is the answer and they're cheap to boot. (The Fidelity Spartan 500 index fund has an expense ratio of only 0.10%)

Re: Why Bigger Goals = Less Competition (Plus: Major Media Opp)

jim — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 19:46:48 -0000

Tim, this is in regards to the retirement media opportunity and your book in general. I'm 27, married, and recently left corporate America to pursue my online ventures full time. I actually did so after reading the Four Hour Work Week when I realized I was being irrational in my fear of both the unknown (I realized I was more afraid of going 40 years in corporate america wondering "what if?") and not having to fill up an 8 hour work day to feel "safe." I was always aggressive in saving for retirement (maxing out Roth IRAs and 401(k)s) but now I'm enjoying a far richer lifer because I have enough money to keep me happy but, more importantly, time to spend it on the things that matter to me. Unfortunately, one of those things is golf so all this free time might be fleeting. :)

Thank you.

Re: How Not to Use a Lawyer - A Personal Case Study (Plus: Protocol Marketing correction)

jim — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 16:08:33 -0000

Would you rather be inundated with unqualified calls or not get any calls whatsoever? Some problems are good to have.

Re: Rethinking Investing - Part 2 (Plus: Election Thoughts)

jim — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 08:10:33 -0000

Information advantage is a crucial component in earning money anywhere. One book that I really enjoyed reading is similar to Liar's Poker, it's called Trading With The Enemy and it's about the experiences of someone who worked at Jim Cramer's hedge fund.

One of the best stories in there is about how analysts would sometimes tell Cramer about a downgrade a few minutes before their official announcement. Cramer paid 6 cents a share on trades, way more than regular investors, but he was given an information advantage that was impossible to for the SEC to track and gave him a serious leg up.

Re: How to Use Chopsticks - Become an Expert in 90 Seconds

jim — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 11:50:47 -0000

With respect to the sticking chopsticks in rice, I was always told that it was because it resembled incense sticks in a bowl of stand, which is typically used in memorials and other rituals.

Another no-no is for two people to take food from a single bowl at the same time, or someone holding down a piece of food as another pulls from it (say separating pieces from one another), again for the same reasons as why you shouldn't pass food from chopstick to chopstick

Great notes on etiquette though, you don't see many people write about that enough.

Re: Fesitval of Frugality #163rd Edition

jim — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 08:24:42 -0000

Great job and congrats on 100!

<abbr>jim’s last blog post..“Chinatown” Buses</abbr>

Re: Send ProFlowers Valentine’s Day Giveaway

jim — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 13:06:09 -0000

Last birthday, I didn't have them delivered though, I picked them up and delivered them myself. :)

<abbr>jims last blog post..Stop Watching Market News, Start Watching LOLCATS</abbr>

Re: PayPal Deluding Themselves Over Google Checkout Threat?

jim — Tue, 27 Mar 2007 16:23:08 -0000

I do the same exact thing, I send invoices (in fact in the latest survey they sent out, one suggestion I had was to move the "send an invoice" link from behind the Settings tab) to people because Checkout is fee-free until the end of the year. It's definitely a payment system... I just wonder how many small timers like me are going to stick after the freebie goes away.

Re: Icahn, Shareholders Want Yang Out of Yahoo

jim — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 17:05:44 -0000

Icahn you expect but you know you're in trouble when Detroit doesn't like you too.

jim's last blog post..Usefulness & Utility Trump Asset Value

Re: Younger Generation Wants More Depth from the News

jim — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 17:07:57 -0000

As someone in that group, I agree. It's not so much that I want more political news or economic news or whatever, I want more depth in current events. With the millions of bloggers out there, it's amazing how "close" you can get to current events as they unfold because people who are geographically close are writing about them.

jim's last blog post..Usefulness & Utility Trump Asset Value

Re: Mozilla’s Relationship with Google Gets “Complicated”

jim — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 11:00:45 -0000

I now use Chrome and I switched from Firefox because it's a monster of a memory hog.

jim's last blog post..Researching A Refinance

Re: How You Can Help End the Problem of Blogs With Great Content and No Readers

jim — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 22:23:59 -0000

I'm even later... but I'm game too. :)

Re: How You Can Help End the Problem of Blogs With Great Content and No Readers

jim — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 22:24:19 -0000

I'm even later... but I'm game too. :)

I write a personal finance blog at http://www.bargaineering.com/articles/

Re: Drudge Report: News Site That Sends Readers Away With Links Has Highest Engagement

jim — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 15:55:50 -0000

DrudgeReport is one of the few sites I type into the address bar on a daily basis...

Re: What Do You Think About Aaron Wall's SEO Book?

jim — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 14:23:15 -0000

I bought Aaron's book a year or so ago and it's the only eBook I've ever bought. I bought it because 1) he makes excellent observations and points on his blog (which is free) and 2) "100% No-Hassle Money Back Guarantee" (though I never used it). $79 for this is a steal and it's valuable because it gets you up to speed without having to read through all the forums, blog posts, noise, etc. to get the basics down. I bet all the information in it is available in one form or another for free but it's not organized and codified into one document that is easy to scan and search. Paying $79 for that shouldn't be expensive if you're serious about this; if you're not sure if you're serious then read Aaron's blog and all the other resources for free until you can afford to become serious about it.

Re: What Do You Think About Aaron Wall’s SEO Book?

jim — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 14:23:15 -0000