[PT's note: This comprehensive article was contributed by Eric Bowlin from IdealREI.com. I first heard Eric on this Bigger Pockets episode. He lives here in Texas with me now and we regularly get together for lunch and talk real estate and business. Here's Eric....] It’s remarkable to see how real estate investing can create so much wealth. You see it everywhere – TV, the web, or your friend who randomly decided to flip a house, it … [Read more...]
Wealthsimple Review: Canada’s Largest Robo-Advisor Comes to America with $50 Bonus
Since 2014, Wealthsimple has offered Canadians excellent service as the largest robo-advisor in the Great White North. Now, Wealthsimple comes to the U.S. (along with a sweet $50 signup bonus for PTMoney readers) with the same no-nonsense mission of bringing “smarter financial services to everybody, regardless of age or net worth.” Read on to learn more about what Wealthsimple can offer you, and what makes it different from other robo-advisors: What Wealthsimple … [Read more...]
006: Achieving Financial Independence (and Happiness) in Your 30s with Brandon, the Mad Fientist
Enjoying these show notes from the podcast? Be sure to subscribe to the show in iTunes and you'll get notified when each new episode is ready! Who is The Mad Fientist? The Mad Fientist (aka Brandon) is a computer programmer and highly accomplished “fientist” (a word he made up himself) originally from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He’s now living in Glasgow, Scotland, his wife’s hometown. He achieved his personal financial independence number a couple of years ago at … [Read more...]
Kavout Review: An Innovative AI Investing Platform
We recently wrapped up another FinCon and the second annual FinTech Startup Competition. The competition is the first ever early-stage business competition dedicated to technology products and solutions for the consumer-facing personal finance and investing verticals. The competition was presented in partnership with SoFi, who chose this year's winner, Kavout, to participate in their Entrepreneur Program. Today's post reviews their service and the features that … [Read more...]
Best Automatic Savings (& Investing) Apps to Round Up Savings in 2018
Saving money has a lot in common with flossing: you know it’s important, professionals wag their fingers at you when they find out you’ve been neglecting it, and it seems like a major pain to get in the habit of doing. Luckily for reluctant savers, technology has come to the rescue in the form of automatic savings apps. (Unfortunately, automated flossing technology is still years away.) Even the most budget-averse user can … [Read more...]
Betterment Review (2018 Update): Revolutionary Online Investing
Update: This comprehensive review now includes the latest on the revolutionary personal investing service, Betterment. Betterment is investing for the masses. If online brokers like E*Trade were a revolution for the do-it-yourself investor, then Betterment is part two of that revolution. Their goal: get more people to invest their money (vs parking it in savings accounts) by providing an ultra-simple, passive investing-focused, … [Read more...]
Personal Capital: Manage All of Your Financial Accounts in One Place
If you are looking for a one-stop-shop for all of your financial needs, from budgeting software to investment advice, look no further than Personal Capital. This online investment and wealth management platform offers you a comprehensive program for managing every aspect of your money, whether you are just learning how to budget or you are trying to determine the best investments for your multi-million-dollar portfolio. Here’s what you need to know about how … [Read more...]
TickerTags Review: Leveling the Information Playing Field for Investors
One of my favorite money-related movies is the 1983 Eddie Murphy and Dan Aykroyd comedy Trading Places. The second half of the film revolves around Murphy and Aykroyd's interception of a critical USDA report about the orange crop forecast, and they use this inside information to profit from trades in frozen concentrated orange juice. While much of the film is rather dated, the issue of information only being available to those at the top is one that continues to … [Read more...]
Acorns Review: Easily Invest Your Spare Change [Automatically]
Knowing how to invest your money ought to be a basic life skill—like changing a tire, budgeting, and cooking for yourself. But the sad truth is that many people are intimidated by investing, and it can feel impossible to fill in this particular skill gap. Thankfully, that’s where the Acorns mobile investing app comes in. This free app (which is also available in a desktop version) aims to demystify the process of investing, using money that new investors will … [Read more...]
Investing in Lending Club: What You Need to Know
There’s an excellent reason why Lending Club is currently the largest peer-to-peer lending network, responsible for over $13 billion in loans as of September 2015. Borrowers enjoy better rates than they could find at a bank, and lenders receive returns that could be difficult to replicate with more traditional investments. Specifically, lenders have earned an average return of 9.65% since June of 2007. Whether you’re a newbie investor or a seasoned investing … [Read more...]
The Best Robo Advisors (2019 Update) to Automate Your Investing
Here's the thing. Investing should be for everyone. It should just be for people who are already rich and can (and want to) pay for expensive advisory services. The introduction of robo-advisors has helped more people get into investing and save for their future without the costs of standard financial advisory services. According to a BI Intelligence, "robo-advisors will manage around 10% of total global assets under management … [Read more...]
Think You Can Pick Better Stocks Than Me in 2015? Join Me in the Grow Your Dough Throwdown 2.0
Important Note: 99% of my investing is boring, focused on retirement, and involves tax-advantaged accounts and low cost index funds. I love it! What you'll read below is not part of that strategy and is just for fun and education - to show how easy it is to get started investing. In 2014 I participated in the Grow Your Dough Challenge - a year long "investing" challenge with several other financial experts meant to raise awareness about investing. I made 33% on my … [Read more...]
