Google Option FAIL
I think the following illustration speaks for itself.
This is one of the risks of trading options with short term time horizon. I got black swanned or tsunamied or screwed. However you want to call it, it’s a FAIL. Hopefully, it will be a lesson learned.
Fortunately, I also bought some EWJ call options during this catastrophe, and they’re looking pretty good right now. I exited part of the position at a 25% gain and will hold the rest for a longer term bet on the recovery. I’ve still got a long way to go to recoup this loss though.
KulaMula Review: Interact and Get Very Little
KulaMula Yodlee Offer
“KulaMula works by matching the anonymous spending profiles of users with brands that are willing to pay to interview with those profiles. These “MicroInterviews” take about 30 seconds and provide the information brands need to customize an offer to your tastes; then you decide to either have the custom offer emailed to you or keep the interview payment – or both.”
This sounds fine, but I have a couple of issues with it as I usually do with most offers. The first is a Yodlee issue. The new version of Yodlee is pretty inferior to the old version. I actually use their “time machine” so I can use the old version until they get all the kinks worked out. To use KulaMula, you need to be using the new version. The second issue is with KulaMula itself. Although the interviews are short, they only pay you a quarter. That’s 25 cents. I’m sorry KulaMula but my time and my personal finance information is worth far more than 25 cents.
When I looked in the FinApp store only 68 people had downloaded it so if we take that as a sign, I’ll say that most people feel like I do. I’m happy to reconsider if the payouts ever become commensurate with what I’m sharing, but until that time I’ll take a pass.
Lowes Tax Refund Offer
On February 9, Lowes announced a tax refund offer associated with their regular gift card program:
“Customers who purchase the Tax Refund card in Lowe’s stores or on Lowes.com between Feb. 8 and March 14 will receive 10 percent of the original card purchase amount added back to their card on March 18, 2011.”
This is a guaranteed 10% return on your money, and if you go through Lowes.com, you can put it on a rewards credit card which should get you an extra 1 or 2% back. This is a great offer IF AND ONLY IF you regularly shop at Lowes. I do so I’ll probably be participating.
Also, it should be noted there are no inactivity fees associated with the card nor does the card ever expire. All in all it’s a pretty good deal. Oh, and it really has nothing to do with your tax refund, except that it’s a promotion being run during tax season.
401k IRS Compliance Testing
Did you know that every year your company’s 401k takes a test? Actually it’s 2 tests that I’ll be discussing and there are actually even more. And, if it fails to comply with IRS guidelines certain employees have money removed from their retirement savings, taxed, and returned to them during the following year? Read more
Quest for a Million – Net Worth – 3/2011
1 Year Zillow Graph of My Home Valuation
Getting back to my net worth, the only real changes appear on the asset side, and aside from the home valuation, they’re all positive this month. I like that a lot. I’ve removed the Prosper change percentages since they’re misleading because I want them to go down. I’m slowly emptying that account into my savings. My current portfolio of 3 loans are all current and due to be paid off by mid-summer. In terms of liabilities, I continue to pay the mortgage and student loans down at a slightly accelerated rate. Credit cards are paid in full every month and carry an unpredictable amount of business expenses so I removed those non-useful percentages as well.
The only net worth change I anticipate between now and next month is my tax refund which will serve as a 1 time gain that will be used to complete the funding of the 2010 Roth’s a little later than I’d hoped and to add to savings.
Net Worth March 2011
| ASSETS | This Year | vs. Last Month | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Real Estate | ||||
| My Home (Zillow) | $352,000 | -9% | -5% | |
| Savings | ||||
| All Accounts | $24,861 | -50% | 5% | |
| Retirement | ||||
| All Accounts | $220,651 | 9% | 1% | |
| Investments | ||||
| 529 Plan | $12,092 | 24% | 1% | |
| Brokerage | $5,203 | 5% | 7% | |
| Prosper | $168 | |||
| Total Assets | $614,974 | -3% | -3% | |
| LIABILITIES | ||||
| Credit Cards* | ||||
| All Accounts | $6,740 | |||
| Student Loans | ||||
| All Accounts | $67,656 | -2% | -1% | |
| Mortgage Loans | ||||
| My Home | $300,607 | -1% | 0% | |
| Total Liabilities | $375,003 | -2% | 0% | |
| NET WORTH | $239,971 | -5.3% | -6% |
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