Financial Fellow

Written by J.P. Wicklein

     This past week I learned of a new coupon site, Groupon

Written by J.P. Wicklein

     I picked up a book recently entitled “The 5 Lessons a Millionaire Taught Me”

Written by J.P. Wicklein

I read an article in Time last week advocating the death of the 401k. Their rationale was that 401k’s are failing to prove themselves as an effective retirement savings vehicle for the masses. In light of the recent financial meltdown the argument to replace the 401k with another retirement savings vehicle, such as a federally-controlled pension system, has gained attention. Although there may be rationale for providing a government-controlled retirement savings option, beyond Social Security, eliminating the 401k would be a travesty.

Written by J.P. Wicklein

I came across a segment about the future of Berkshire Hathaway after Warren Buffett dies. Due to Buffett’s advanced age, he just turned 79, the Berkshire Board of Directors often discusses potential successors. The Bloomberg feature discusses a couple possible contenders to take over the $156 billion company. (Try not to get hypnotized by the tickers.)

Written by J.P. Wicklein

     I’m earning over a 9% return on my money through Lending Club.  (Currently the average annual return for

Written by J.P. Wicklein

     Dime Bank recently announced $300 in bonuses for new checking account customers.  I’ve seen checking

Written by J.P. Wicklein

     My sixteen month streak avoiding any illness has come to an end.  I was diagnosed

Written by J.P. Wicklein

Uncle Sam is hurting for money. Currently the U.S. is facing a staggering $1.6 trillion budget deficit. Add on to that the incredibly expensive, and increasingly insolvent, Social Security and Medicare programs and the picture is even worse. To close the deficit, and continue to fund future obligations, the federal government will almost certainly raise income taxes.

Written by J.P. Wicklein

Complaining about a poor customer experience is an excellent way to save a few bucks. Often companies will offer you an incentive to keep you happy – whether you’re in the right or not. By complaining about a pair of bad experiences recently I received a $20 grocery store gift card and a $10 Amazon coupon code.

Written by J.P. Wicklein

     I received an email the other day notifying me of a 90% discount Restaurant.com is offering