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Friday, July 29, 2005

XXIA

Wow, XXIA went back up to $20. I sold a bit too early, again. I sold at point A, but I really should have sold at point B.

posted by Sean @ 7/29/2005 11:35:00 AM 0 comments

New Blogger, NYC Money

Check out this new blogger, Sue at NYC Money. She seems to be doing very well for her age and is on the right path to her first million. Speaking of which, I hope to get to my first million by age 30, too. Looks like, I have to pull a rabbit out of the hat in the next few years.

posted by Sean @ 7/29/2005 10:33:00 AM 2 comments

Thursday, July 28, 2005

Real Estate Investment Plan

I'm looking into Philadelphia to buying an investment property. I hope to get a nice "move-in" condition" house in a good neighborhood for around $120,000. I'm planning to put down around 15K for down payment. If you have any experience buying a property or knowledgable about investing in Philly, please advice.

posted by Sean @ 7/28/2005 05:41:00 PM 2 comments

More PACT

I loaded up more shares of PACT today, 500 shares more at 7.75 a piece.

posted by Sean @ 7/28/2005 01:17:00 AM 0 comments

Wednesday, July 27, 2005

Traded XXIA

I bought XXIA on Monday during the pullback at 17.45 and sold it today in the rally at 18.50. Total gains is about $250.

posted by Sean @ 7/27/2005 05:05:00 PM 0 comments

Tuesday, July 26, 2005

Vanguard

I spoke with three Vanguard customer service agents yesterday. The first one sounded very impatient. Perhaps it was Monday morning and he didn't wanted to be at work. Well, tough luck! It's your job to impress your potential customers. It's not like I was giving him a hard time, I was very friendly. The second one was a little better. She was more helpful and directed me to the right places for my questions. Finally, when I got a hold of the third Customer Service agent, he was able to help me. I did ask a lot of questions. We were on the phone for at least an hour. He was patient with me. I wanted to open an IRA account for my dad. There are so many funds to choose from and I wanted hear his recommendations. But since they can't give recommendations (because it would be consider "legal advice"), he gave me some guidelines for someone his age. Here it is:

posted by Sean @ 7/26/2005 04:45:00 PM 3 comments

Citi Dividend Card

  • Save with 0% APR on Balance Transfers for 12 months with no Balance Transfer fee
  • Earn cash back on everything–a full 5% cash back on purchases at supermarkets, drugstores and gas stations, plus 1% on all other purchases
  • Earn cash back on qualifying Cash Advances and eligible Balance Transfers
  • Earn unlimited cash back with the Citi® Dividend Merchant Network
  • Acceptance at millions of locations worldwide
  • No annual fee
  • Platinum Select® benefits
  • Dedicated 24/7 Customer Service
  • Free online services:
    • See current balance and unbilled activity
    • Review past statements
    • Pay your credit card bill, or all your bills
  • Personal information protected by our Privacy Promise
  • $0 Liability on Unauthorized Charges—you are never liable for unauthorized purchases
  • Citi® Photocard option available
I'm planning to sign up for the Citi Dividend card. The 12 month 0% APR balance transfer looks really attractive with the new Emigrant Direct 3.5% savings account. I hope to replace this card with two of my other credit cards. The only question I have is, "Does anyone know if you can download statements directly to MS Money?" I know for my Citibank Checking account, I have to manually log in the Citibank website and download the statements.

posted by Sean @ 7/26/2005 03:29:00 PM 4 comments

Thursday, July 21, 2005

What Money Type Are You?

Click on link in the middle of the article to take test. I am RATIONAL.

posted by Sean @ 7/21/2005 01:41:00 PM 1 comments

Tuesday, July 19, 2005

Brokerage Firms Comparison

Ameritrade vs. Scottrade When I was out of town on a trip, I wanted to check my portfolio over the phone since I didn't have access to the Internet. I called Ameritrade and they told me there was no phone support. I was very disappointed. A big financial firm like Ameritrade that does not allow me to check my account status upset me. I would expect them to at least have an automated system that I can get access to my account and stock quotes. I had wanted to trade stocks over the phone, but I couldn't even get access to my account. I called Scottrade next to check my account. I have a small amount in there so I didn't care as much. Surprisingly, I was connected with a live operator and he helped me with my demands. Not only did he tell me my account balance, he gave me stock quotes to other companies I requested. I was pleased with their customer service. And I would recommend them to anyone who travels and want to stay updated with their account.

posted by Sean @ 7/19/2005 05:38:00 PM 4 comments

Friday, July 15, 2005

Housing Bubble?

Here's a humorous picture.

posted by Sean @ 7/15/2005 02:49:00 PM 2 comments

PACT - 5 Days Graph

PACT has a really nice run up until Thursday where it spike up to $8.98 and then it dropped. It doesn't look like it holds the pops well. I'm planning to sell into the next spike. I may hold a portion since this company looks good for the long term.

posted by Sean @ 7/15/2005 12:11:00 PM 0 comments

Wednesday, July 13, 2005

Expired Movie Tickets updated

Last month, I found some Expired Movie Tickets in my drawer. I realize that California has a law that allows you to claim certificates beyond the expiration date. So, if you're a Californian, I can send you these tickets and perhaps you can catch some movies for free. Leave a comment with your email so I can contact you.

posted by Sean @ 7/13/2005 05:48:00 PM 2 comments

Tuesday, July 12, 2005

PACT Closed Higher

PACT drifted down midday but bounced up and closed above $8. Tomorrow, PacificNet is holding a conference and should receive more investor interest. PacificNet to present at C.E. Unterberg Emerging Growth Opportunities Conference on Wednesday July 13th

posted by Sean @ 7/12/2005 10:00:00 PM 0 comments

Monday, July 11, 2005

Market Up Today

Major indices up. Hopefully, this will be a good week.

posted by Sean @ 7/11/2005 10:18:00 PM 0 comments

Saturday, July 09, 2005

I'm Back From Vacation

Hey guys, I was in Vegas for a week, so I didn't get a chance to update. Many things happened while I was away, such as high oil prices and terrorist bombing in London. My original flight was cancelled because of bad weather in the east coast. I just got back home now. Give me some time to get back on speed..

posted by Sean @ 7/09/2005 08:32:00 PM 1 comments

Friday, July 01, 2005

We Have A Winner

I asked my coworker to randomly pick a number from 1 to 20. He said, "12." I thought he would ask me why, but I guess he was so busy doing his work he didn't bother. The winner is declared: Dawn from Frugal For Life. As promised, I will ship the issue of BusinessWeek about Blogs to her.

posted by Sean @ 7/01/2005 11:56:00 AM 0 comments

Cleaning Out Old Mail

I store most of my old mail in a huge shoe box. I decided to do some cleaning and took it out last night. I spent about an hour going through all the mail and threw out 95% of them. I had mail back from 2002. There's really no point for me to keep any bill statements prior to this year. I can get access to my statements online now and there’s hardly any need for mail dating two years back or more. So I didn’t hold back and just let go of all the paper statements. Every time I get rid of junk in my apartment, I feel good. This kind of mail cleaning should be done at least once a year.

There was still another huge stack on my table not shown in picture.

posted by Sean @ 7/01/2005 10:00:00 AM 4 comments