Financial Fellow

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.

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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.)

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Written by J.P. Wicklein
     I’m earning over a 9% return on my money through Lending Club.  (Currently the average annual return for all of Lending Club’s 25,000+ investors is 9.6%.)  By offering a $25 bonus, Lending Club is inviting new customers to give their service a try for free. 

What is Lending Club?
     Lending Club [...]

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Written by J.P. Wicklein
     Dime Bank recently announced $300 in bonuses for new checking account customers.  I’ve seen checking account incentives up to $100 before, but never anything this high.  Dime Bank has put several conditions in place to receive the full bonus.  Here are the details: 
·         New Dime Bank customers that open a [...]

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