The College Investor

Millennial Personal Finance and Investing Blog

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The Cheapest Health Insurance for College Students

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If you’d like to save money on health insurance as a college student, take a look at these options. There might be a good one for you!

Paying
For College

12 Month CD Rates

How To Find The Best Student Loans And Rates In 2019

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How To Pay For College

How To Pay For College: The Best Order Of Operations

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parent loans

An Overview of Parent Loans to Help Pay for College

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Best Private Student Loans

Best Private Student Loans To Pay For College In 2019

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Latest
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What Young Workers Should Know About Social Security

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I got my first Social Security statement today! What I found very interesting, besides the fact that I do have something coming to me in 40 years (maybe?), is that the Social Security Administration put this handy little newsletter in with my statement, and it is entitled “What young workers should know about Social Security […]

Sell on Amazon in California? You’d Better Collect Sales Tax

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Millions of people love Amazon.com for many reasons – tons of products, free shipping, and in most cases, no sales tax. If you buy from an Amazon Marketplace seller, there is usually never any tax charged. Amazon Marketplace sellers are the products that you see “New and Used From…”. The Laws of California Sales and […]

10 Ways to Start a Healthy Year

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Now that the holiday season is over, most people take on New Year’s resolutions that include some type of improvement in their health. According to a recent study: fitness, losing weight, quitting smoking or drinking, and de-stressing all topped people’s New Year’s resolutions. Here are 10 easy ways to start a healthier year: 1. Get […]

5 Ways FacebookIs Costing You Money

5 Ways Facebook is Costing You Money

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This post is by Suba at Wealth Informatics: debt reduction, financial planning, informed Consumerism, savvy investing, fun & frugal living leading to financial freedom. I am not talking about Facebook costing you via all the lost productivity that you could have used to make money or time spent with your family. I am talking about […]

The Barbell Investment Strategy

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The Barbell Investment Strategy is basically a tale of two extremes in order to increase risk adjusted returns on your investment portfolio. Quite simply it involves investing most (90% for example) in cash and t-bills. Ultrasafe investments that pay a little interest, but are not likely to ever lose their value. The remaining portion you […]

How Independent Financial Advisors Can Help With Recent Changes in Personal Finance

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This post comes to you from the NerdWallet.com team. With significant changes taking place in the way people deal with their personal finances, more and more are seeking what is called an IFA, or an independent financial advisor. Recently there have been big changes in areas like tax law, bankruptcy, and consumer debt management that […]

Do Not Buy Gold!

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Even though today is only 12/31/10, I am calling this my first call out of 2011 – DO NOT BUY GOLD!!! I have been doing my usual reading and I must have read six or seven different posts about why gold is great, and why now is the time to buy gold (actually, there was one […]

The College Investor’s 2010 Stock Pick Review

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Throughout 2010 I have made various calls on different stocks, separate from The College Investor Portfolio. I think it is important to look back and assess the performance since I made these calls. Here is a breakdown of the trades, and you can decide for yourself if The College Investor is on point or off […]

should I tip the mailman

Should I Tip The Mailman And Other Holiday Tipping Guidelines?

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Every year, as it gets closer to Christmas, I see more and more stories about holiday tipping etiquette and who I should tip. I understand tipping in the hospitality industry. For example, waiters make most of their money on tips, and they have an established custom on what to tip. I don’t always agree, and […]

Things I Learned NOT To Pay For

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You may have heard these before, but I’m being extra cautious this holiday season to make sure that I’m not accidentally paying for something that there is no reason to pay for. Here is my list of things I learned not to pay for!   ATM Fees If you ever have to pay ATM fees, […]

Student Loan Calculator

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When looking at the total cost of your student loans, there are many factors to consider. Most student loan calculators assume that the loan will be repaid in equal monthly installments through standard amortization. Therefore, the results are not accurate for some alternate repayment plans, such as graduated repayment, or income contingent repayment. It is […]

Changes to The College Investor Portfolio

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If you regularly follow my blog, you know that I follow a basket of stocks called The College Investor Portfolio, which I select using my Key Value Fundamentals for Screening Stocks as a guide. So far this year, The College Investor Portfolio has returned 13.89%, while the S&P500 has only returned 6.05%. We are almost […]

Are Black Friday Deals Worth It? What About Cyber Monday?

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Every year, I have to ask myself why people act the way they do for Black Friday sales, and if it was even worth it. For the retailers, it seems like Black Friday was a huge success, at least according to the media. People were lined up at 4pm on Thanksgiving (or sometimes even earlier) […]

Government Debt Reduction and Your Investments

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Late last week, the government deficit reduction commission laid out several areas that will be the focus of cuts to lower the government debt. The plans include ending tax breaks, changing taxes, cutting programs, and changing key U.S. programs that many Americans have come to rely on. Some key highlights include: – Cutting $100 billion […]

How Staying Organized Can Save You Money!

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Over the weekend, I needed to purchase a lock for our side gate. I looked all over the house, and after searching for a few minutes, figured that we didn’t have one. I fired up the car, drove to the hardware store, spent $5.38 on a new lock, and came home. Yesterday, while looking in […]

Time Management Tips for Students

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Once you start college, you will soon come to the realization that managing your time will be an important factor in your success. With the majority of the work to be done out of class, juggling multiple classes, campus events, social activities, and possibly a part-time job, here are some tips to help you better […]

The Real Cost of Car Ownership

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Now may be a great time to get into a car!  The 2010’s are heading off the lot, and the 2011 models are starting to arrive.  Also, car sales have been sluggish, so you may be able to get some good deals before the economy really recovers.  However, you should be aware of these common […]

How to get the Cheapest iPhone 5 Plan

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Cell phone plans can get expensive…plain and simple. The trick is to know how much you actually use and pay for only what you need. Many people sign up for unlimited plans, and only really call about 400 minutes per month. You can save boatloads of cash by simply picking the right plan for your […]

Five Financial Things to do on Labor Day

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Happy Labor Day!  Since most Americans have the day off, here are some great activities to boost your financial well being! Plus, they are pretty quick!   1. Check Your Credit Report Every American qualifies to get a free credit report once a year. You can go to AnnualCreditReport.com and check your credit reports. It […]

What is up with Housing?

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There has been a lot of uncertainty in the market surrounding recent numbers announced in the media.  It was announced last week that existing home sales plunged 27.2% and unsold inventory jumped to an 11-year high.  While this has some people fearful of what is to come, we should really look to the root cause […]

Earn Airline Miles For Shopping: Use Airline Mileage Malls

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I have always been a huge proponent of getting free stuff for normal activities.  That is why I love these mileage malls.  Almost every airline has some type of mileage program.  Most consumers earn miles by flying, or by using a credit card.  However, the biggest secret that airlines keep is that they have mileage […]

Why a Tax Credit is Better than a Tax Deduction

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It is tax time again, and one of the questions I get asked all the time is: which is better, a tax credit or a tax deduction? It’s a common question because, let’s face it, taxes are confusing. The language is confusing, and the forms are confusing. The IRS just doesn’t make anything easy on taxpayers. […]