It’s March and I am approaching the $24,500 2026 limit for 401k contributions. People over 50 can contribute an additional $8000 however if you were classified as a highly compensated employee those contributions need to be made to a Roth IRA vs a deferred 401k contribution. I called my 401k provider to understand my options…
Is Your Personal Finance Ready For War?
I only have a post or two scheduled for publication because I am prepping for war. Technically, we’re not at war or maybe we are, it’s hard to tell with our current government but in any event there were refineries in many parts of the middle east that have blown up. The Straits of Hormuz…
24 Percent Return (Annualized) On XOP
Back on February 24, one of my apps found unusual options activity on XOP so I decided to take a look. The premiums for a few weeks out were crazy so I decided to buy 100 shares of XOP and sold the March 6 $140 strikes for $367.33. It looks like those options will get…
Boosting FICO Score By Timing Payments?
I pay off my credit card every month. I didn’t always do that and I recall 25+ years ago when my wife and I first got married that the interest charges on those cards exploded the balance when not paying the off immediately. It was a tough lesson to learn during those early years. Because…
21.8 Percent Return On EWY?
This Iran war has caused Asian stocks to get clobbered. A large part of the issue is that Asia’s oil flows through the Straits of Hormuz so if that shipping lane is disrupted, it will cause havoc with Asian economies as energy costs soar. The KOSPI has been hit hard and is down 12 percent…
All Financial Advice Is Wrong, AI May Be The Best Option For Right Advice
I gave up on offering people financial advice a long time ago. I also gave up on listening to financial advice from others a long time ago too. What do these two things have in common? The common denominator between the two things is financial intimacy. In order to truly help someone with financial advice,…
More GSE Bonds Called
In February I’ve had about 20k worth of GSE bonds called. These were essentially government loans to farmers. I had almost 6% interest on these bonds and it makes sense for whoever took out these loans to refinance at today’s lower rates. Ironically, the recent PPI report had hotter inflation than expected which has led…
AI: Building Money Agents For Your Investment Portfolio
Here is a preview of something that I am working on in the background. You may have heard that AI “agents” are all the rage now but one thing that I haven’t seen or heard is anything about a “money agent” that helps optimize your investment portfolio. The way AI is projected to decimate white…
Rotating From IWM To TLT
Every investor needs to make decisions for what’s best for their needs at their current point in time. For me, I am rotating away from small caps (IWM) to bonds via TLT. This is largely a move to reduce risk as TLT is a 20 year bond ETF. Don’t take anything you read here as…
Zepbound: My Health Journey – February Year 3
Well I went to the doc and told him I have flat lined in weight loss. Doc upgraded me to 15mg but I have to take the 12.5mg as an intermediary step which I started this week. Ironically I lost 2 lbs in February BEFORE starting the new higher dose so I am hoping I…