Banking Archives - Frugaling

I’m Desperate For A Financial Makeover

A year ago I read Burton Malkiel’s seminal text on investing, A Random Walk Down Wall Street, and concluded that it made sense to invest in exchange-traded funds (ETFs). He imparted a challenging message: people are inherently poor stock pickers, but we can be better through diversification and buy-and-hold strategies. ETFs would be a quick, affordable, engaging way to diversify, too.

Despite the logic, my brain wouldn’t relent — I wanted to invest in an individual stock. Like a horse being kicked and yanked to the right but continuing left, I decided, against my better judgment, to place an investment in a risky, small cap stock. I’d been following it for quite some time, and made a small prior investment. I wanted to put more in, though.

Only two weeks after doing so, I lost $400. How could this happen? Why did I fall for this logical fallacy and bias? I was berating my brain for the errors. The company looked poised for a rapid expansion. I had drunk the Kool-Aid.

I knew better than to make this recent individual investment, and did it anyways. Humbled, I was the definition of many of the investing problems and fallacies individuals have a habit of engaging in.

Like my flawed investment, I realized much of my financial strategies had become stale. Having money to invest was a new feeling, and the do-it-yourself route wasn’t working. I needed to refresh my checking, savings, and investment streams. And I wanted to feel secure in my financial future. Here’s how I analyzed and reviewed it all.

1. Analyze current accounts

Almost all banking goes through Ally Bank. With 1% and 0.10% on savings and checking accounts, respectively, Ally is an industry leader. I’ve been with them for years, and appreciate the domestic ATM-fee reimbursements and free checks.

After paychecks are deposited into the account, about 40-50% of the money goes to regular, immediate bills. Then, another large portion gets spent on food and regular expenses throughout the month. This variable amount is something I continue to work on and struggle with. Reducing food budgets is something I’ve written about before, and will likely talk about again. It’s vital for a frugal life. But after all is said and done, there’s only about $300-400 in leftover funds.

Right now, I’ve been putting the surplus into a savings account. Additionally, I’ve been investing in individual stocks, but with mixed results. At this point, and with such little money at the end of every month, I need to be smart about what I do with any extra funds. These funds will be used to travel for job interviews, licensure, work clothes, moving expenses, and other emergencies. It’s important to have a fair amount on hand for all these moments.

After looking at the accounts, I can see that I have two piles: a checking and savings. There aren’t specific accounts for individual goals. Money is one big slush fund of fun.

Another major unaddressed part is regular investing. As mentioned it’s a weakness within my current financial management.

International travel has been also concern financially; not necessarily the cost, as I use bonus miles for most travel, but the currency exchanges. When I traveled to Colombia about a year ago, I needed local currency and had no method to get cash without fees. It cost me quite a bit to talk to a money exchange business and have them take my USD for Colombian Pesos.

2. Consider other accounts, options

Based on this analysis, I will stick with Ally Bank as my primary checking and savings method. Direct deposits will continue to flow to this checking account first. The goal will be to use this to manage all regular bills and upcoming expenses. Ally has really earned my respect over the years, and I’m happy to stay with them.

Staying with Ally doesn’t mean I’ll be staying with the same strategy, though. I’ll be opening up a new savings account and calling it, “Vocational Expenses.” This will be specific for interview, moving, and other work-related expenses incurred over the next three years. Now, how much should go in here and how fast? I will likely need $4000-5000 over the next few years, but this is a rough estimate. To meet this target, I’ll deposit $250 per month automatically out of every paycheck (Ally checking account) for the next 16 months on the first of the month.

International travel currency fees have been abysmal. To remedy this problem, I’ll be opening up a Charles Schwab Investor Checking account and solely using my Capital One Quicksilver credit card. The interest-earning checking account provides most of the features that an Ally Bank affords, but includes ATM-fee reimbursements for international ATMs and no foreign transaction fees for purchases out of country. The account is widely regarded as the best travel debit card in existence. And unlike Ally’s checking debit card, Schwab’s debit card has a chip and pin. In preparation for any travel, I will place a budgeted travel amount into the Investor Checking account, but leave it at low levels, as there’s no minimum balance necessary. Moreover, I’ll use the Capital One Visa for all international transactions, as it has no foreign transaction fees.

The last revised strategy will be a regular, monthly deposit into a taxable Wealthfront account of $100 on the first of the month. Wealthfront provides low-cost (and free for those under $15,000 invested) asset management, and automates the entire process. They choose real estate, emerging markets, and domestic stocks. They reinvest dividends and provide timely updates.

Now, I don’t need to worry about rebalancing my portfolio or looking for low-load or low-fee funds. I’m exceptionally happy with their service and professionalism. Because I might need the funds sooner than retirement, I’ll be placing them in a taxable, brokerage account for now. Eventually, when I have more cash flow and income, I will place more in my Roth IRA to invest without incurring additional taxes.

3. Review decisions and new strategy

With any financial management plan, there are going to be hiccups. When you make as little as me, automating savings and investing helps, but can also hinder my plans. Sometimes, I don’t have enough money one month and can’t make the savings necessary. At the same point, the plan motivates me to earn and save more. Maybe it’ll even encourage me to save on food!

As I analyzed and reviewed my current actions and future plans, I reflected on interest rates and banking business. Today, banks are not in the business of encouraging you to save. They nickel and dime customers — especially brick and mortar banks — for every little thing. Checks? That’ll cost you. Overdraft fees? You bet. Minimum balance not met? Say hello to my lil’ fee.

Banks earn more when you spend. They profit when you’re in peril; a tragic irony that places their interests (pun intended) above yours. From car loans to mortgages to credit debt, banks increase their margins by marketing these products to their customers.

To save requires great care, forethought, and hours of hard work. To spend takes the swipe of your card.

Reviewing and updating your financial plan is one of the most important actions you can do. If anything, it helps you understand your financial fitness and maximize interest earnings. And maybe still, it challenges you to look for new ways to save and scrimp.

Should We Put An End To Mortgages?

By Frugaling 13 Comments

“The reason they call it the American Dream is because you have to be asleep to believe it.”
–George Carlin

Mortgage loans have been around for centuries. In the late 1700s, colonists used loans to encourage settlement and economic expansion on federal lands. The leaders of the new world parcelled out land, while encouraging lower classes to settle and build. Ironically, these lands were calculated, bought, and sold as if these new owners always laid claim to the land — denying Native Americans the right of ownership, executing them, and pushing them further and further West.

Nonetheless, the colonies and post-Revolutionary War period in America included basic mortgage loans. Eventually, in the 1900s, these loans grew in popularity and necessity. Homes, condos, and bare land was more expensive and unaffordable for the working classes. Increasingly, people needed financial support to invest in real estate — to find shelter.

Thankfully, banks were available to help everyone out. Without financial institutions and their mortgages, it’s unclear what would’ve happened. In today’s economy and real estate market, most people are unable to afford a house without credit. On the surface, it seems that many Americans would be homeless or forced to forever rent — unable to own. We’re forced to choose mortgages without a substantial alternative.

But let’s hypothesize for a moment. What would happen if mortgages suddenly disappeared? What if they weren’t an option for the impoverished, working classes, or even middle classes of America? What if banks were unable to write even one more loan?

For starters, it’s likely the entire real estate market would collapse. The decimation of domestic markets would domino throughout the world, and cause an economic meltdown. People would be unable to eat, shop, or pay for their continued existence. Landowners would quickly benefit from skyrocketing rental prices, but huge swaths of population would be forced to seek shelter elsewhere. The working classes would need to leave en masse from cities.

The end of mortgages would spell destruction and terror for the financial institutions that profit from their existence. Banks — big and small — would go belly up. Insurance companies would cease to exist. And a slew of related industries would (i.e., from appraisers to real estate agencies to utility companies) struggle to continue. The stock market would follow the steep declines elsewhere as the economic engine would slow to a halt. Money would be stuck. Over time, trillions of dollars would disappear — poof! — from the world markets. They wouldn’t return, either.

My, how powerful a few documents can be! Imagine how one contract prevents global catastrophe — end times. Moreover, that this agreement separates people behind walls — street and shelter.

Mortgage loans make little sense, though. The continued propping up of home prices through financial instruments ensures working classes spend the rest of their lives working. Renting isn’t much better either. With little incentive to build affordable housing for working classes, builders have increasingly constructed luxury condos for upper middle classes and beyond. A recent Yahoo Finance article highlights this shift:

“…a growing number of Americans must spend more than 30 percent of their income on rent — a level that the government considers financially burdensome. Over the past decade, that number has jumped from 14.8 million to 21.3 million, or 49 percent of all renters.

“A surge in apartment construction has done little to help address this problem because in many metro areas, a large proportion of new apartments are concentrated at higher-income levels. The median rent on a newly built apartment was $1,372 a month in 2014, about $500 more a month than what about half of renters could afford without being financially burdened.”

This story exemplifies the catch-22 for working classes: either fork over astronomical, burdensome amounts in rent or “purchase” a home through mortgage loans. Either way, banks and other financial institutions are complicit in the bubble. They own your future. Unless you’re independently wealthy, you lose.

Increased access to capital through mortgage loans encourages people to buy bigger homes than need at prices they can’t afford. Homebuilders respond by building bigger homes and charge more for new developments. Families and households buy more to fill bigger homes, as well. The cycle is vicious, expensive, motivated by consumption, and facilitated by an endless supply of cheap money via the Federal Reserve. It’s the antithesis of minimalism, frugality, and simple living, but we have little choice than to participate.

As the story continues, wholesale gentrification of vulnerable communities can occur. Those with poor credit and/or unable to make down or monthly payments must vacate. To refuse the paradigm means leaving good neighborhoods and schools. Home prices are propped and buoyed by the continued investments of the masses. Banks encourage people to spend more than they can afford on spaces larger than they need. And all I can think is, “Who were these mortgages meant to benefit?”

A mortgage is less a contract with your bank, and more a contract with your employer. To take out a 30-year mortgage loan is a financial conscription to work. It’s a benefit to your employer and guarantee for decades. You can’t stop working, as the consequence would be disastrous. Mortgage loans are the perfect economic engine for the wealthiest of our economy. They can make vast sums from borrowers and sit back to watch their money multiply.

Sadly, we’ve accepted these rules. We’ve cozied up to banks and pledged to pay them back for half our remaining lives.We’ve played the game by repeatedly checking FICO scores. We’ve shown them our good credit (when possible) as examples of personal responsibility, when it says nothing of systemic bias, racism, and uncontrolled job loss.

We are left with few choices. I dream of resisting the system and regularly think about living in a van or tiny home, but I’m afraid my partner and family wouldn’t care for this reality.

As a future psychologist, I’ll be lucky to make $65,000 to $75,000 to start out, which would necessitate participation in the mortgage loan game. And this says nothing of the student loan debt that would be necessary to pay off six years of doctoral education.

No house could be purchased outright unless I worked for decades and lived in a passenger van in the meantime. Yet, one of the most fundamental psychological needs is shelter. Without it, we cannot talk about saving money, cooking at home, or living well. People need the safety of shelter, but over the centuries, our homes have ballooned in price and size. Our inflated budgets have been decimated by a simple financial tool that we accept as a necessity for existence.

Nobody seems to bat an eye. Nobody says this is senseless. Nobody resists the status quo. Rent or “buy,” the same trap is set.

So, as preposterous and provocative as it might sound, what if we killed mortgage loans?

Become A Corrupt Banker, Avoid Prison

By Frugaling 3 Comments

Flickr Photo Alcatraz Island Prison — Photo: Alcatraz | Credit: Jonas Bengtsson

Drug trafficking involves “cultivation, manufacture, distribution and sale” of illicit substances. Money laundering practices are utilized to fund terrorist regimes, evade taxes, and circumvent regulatory bodies. Nuclear proliferation occurs when fissionable materials, weapons, and/or knowledge is transferred to another country. If I committed any of these atrocities, I’d be jailed for life, killed, or on death row. If I assisted these assaults on democracy as a banker, I’d be enjoying a little vacation and bonus check.

In 2007-08, we entered a massive recession and crisis due in part to mortgage manipulation and banking maleficence. Last year, JPMorgan settled with the federal government for $13 billion. Attorney General Eric Holder suggested that their investigation showed that the company’s “conduct” was largely responsible for the mortgage crisis.

A few years ago, LIBOR was heavily manipulated. It’s a $360 trillion market responsible for setting borrowing rates around the globe. In 2012, Barclays Bank paid the U.S. $453 million to settle over severe market manipulation. The government found that the bank “manipulated key interest rates.” Later that year, UBS was fined $1.5 billion for similar charges over LIBOR.

In July 2013, JPMorgan paid $410 million for manipulating energy prices through the Midwest and California. JPMorgan didn’t even need to admit guilt in this claim:

“The bank neither admitted nor denied the violations, but said it would work with outside counsel to review its policies and practices in the power business.”

The Sinaloa Cartel, considered the most powerful drug trafficking cartel in the world, is known for brutal beheadings and murders. For years, they banked through their friendly HSBC branch — transferring hundreds of millions in blood money. For these classic money laundering practices, HSBC was forced to pay up:

“The Department of Justice levied penalties and forfeitures of $1.9 billion on the bank. Of course, with $2.6 trillion in assets, for HSBC this represented a man with a hundred dollars in his pocket paying a fine of seven cents.”

In May 2014, Credit Suisse, was fined $2.6 billion dollars for their involvement in helping Americans evade taxes.

“Credit Suisse bankers aided thousands of wealthy Americans in concealing their money from U.S. authorities, the Department of Justice said. The bank helped American clients set up shell accounts to shuttle their money overseas and then solicited false IRS documents to make the accounts seem legitimate.”

In regards to these fines and penalties, Attorney General Eric Holder was quoted saying, “This …shows that no financial institution, no matter its size or global reach, is above the law.” Even though Holder suggests that financial institutions aren’t above the law, these penalties rarely phase the companies and personally responsible parties walk freely. It’s setting a frightening example.

On June 30, 2014, BNP Paribas, a French bank, was fined $8.9 billion. The case asserted that BNP helped blacklisted countries like Iran and Sudan bring money to the States. As the New York Times reports, “not one BNP employee was criminally charged.” The company said this would not hurt their core businesses and they had enough to pay the fine. Effectively, a profit speedbump — merely a cost of doing illicit business. Their stock was up after the verdict.

We are failing to properly police some of the worst among us. Most bankers and executives that are closely linked and responsible for these laundering and racketeering charges won’t see the inside of a prison cell. They should. Bankers shouldn’t get a pass when they are guilty of laundering money for blacklisted governments and cartels.

The government is modeling a dangerous example for future bankers and companies. If you’d like to commit wire fraud, launder money, and make millions of untouchable, evaded dollars, enter the financial industry. Instead of jailing these atrocious members of society, the U.S. government is the mafia boss looking for their cut. If you have enough money to pay up, you won’t go to prison. Once the federal government gets their blood money, the banking game of roulette continues.

I Am Jason Vitug, Founder Of Phroogal, And This Is How I Work

By Frugaling 7 Comments

Over the last couple months I’ve interviewed a growing number of top bloggers and writers to get their input on personal finance issues (e.g., the founders of Budgets Are Sexy, The Broke And Beautiful Life, Frugal Rules,Debt Roundup, and Modest Money). Today, I have another terrific interview!

Jason Vitug is the founder of Phroogal.com. He worked in the financial services industry for nearly a decade before he founded Phroogal. His website features a host of personal finance tools and a specialized search engine for financial knowledge. On top of starting this resource, he also maintains a popular blog, too. Jason’s definitely one of the top personal finance writers on the Internet. Thanks, Jason!

What inspired you to begin Phroogal?

I worked in financial services industry for close to a decade — most recently as an executive for a credit union in Silicon Valley. It was the years working in banking and exposure to the technology startup world in the Silicon Valley that converged to bring life to Phroogal.

At the credit union, I was responsible for raising awareness to the benefits of credit union membership and I strongly felt financial education would be a key differentiation. I traveled around the country and championed workplace financial literacy at various Fortune 500 companies.

Afterwards, I decided to take a break and clear my mind. I chose to travel. I ended up backpacking around the world for 12 months. I explored 20 countries in 12 months in 2012. It was in my sixth country on top of this 8th century temple: I thought, “I’m living my dream. Why was I the only one here?”

Eventually, as I continued to travel, I wrote down ideas. The epiphany I had on top of the temple began to make sense. It wasn’t about the amount of money one had — it was how one used money to live life rich. It boiled down to education. The more you know about personal finance the better financial decisions are made to support one’s dream. Then, I set out to change that and build Phroogal.

How did people (friends, family, etc.) react when you first started?

My family and close friends were very supportive. They’ve seen me achieve many of my goals; such as, finishing my MBA, becoming an executive before the age of 30, and backpacking around the world.

They were excited that I wanted to finally do something on my own that had significant potential to help millions of people including them. Additionally, my old coworkers were very supportive. They cheered me on when I announced what I was doing.

What was your experience with design, code, web work prior to starting your site?

I’ve dabbled in websites before, but had limited knowledge of HTML. However, in my professional career I was part of many projects that involved application development. My job at the credit union exposed me to design elements, more HTML programming, general user experience, and interface design. Marketing and business development fell under my supervision and it was important for me to understand the full capabilities of program languages and design to get the most optimal results on marketing campaigns. I taught myself and participated in as many free webinars. At first to learn the lingo; eventually, to know what was possible.

What advice would you give to those thinking about starting their own site?

It takes a lot of time and preparation to get it right. But, getting it right doesn’t matter if you don’t start.

Have a vision. It’s also important to develop the mission and set the goals of your website. Understand the problem you are trying to fix and the solution you’re offering. Then, start thinking about how you’re going to execute on that solution and what features or tools are needed. How you go about realizing your vision will change so be open to different opportunities. You’ll discover what your target market actually wants and a better way to deliver it.

Work hard and then work harder. It’s not a “set it and forget it” or “if you build it they will come.” It’s not going to be easy, but it can be as rewarding as you want it to be.

How do you make money from your site?

Currently, we aren’t making money from the website. I have a long term vision I am working towards. I had the opportunity to monetize the website because of the traffic we have but it began to take us off our mission.

My mission is to solve financial incapability and illiteracy. I don’t want to make a quick buck and take me off course. For now, the focus is to grow the knowledge base and users.

Jason Vitug of Phroogal — Jason enjoys a beautiful white sand beach, while drinking from a coconut and eating mangos. Amazing!

What do you think you’ve learned from your readers and fans?

Our community really loves reading personal stories around money. I started out blogging by answering questions without much personal anecdotes. I thought quick, short answers would suffice but people remember stories and they can take the most important pieces and incorporate into their personal situations.

How can somebody in lower incomes best overcome financial hurdles and prosper?

Having less income has more challenges but increasing that income doesn’t change financial situations. It only grows accordingly. When I was traveling around the country I would meet production employees making less than $40,000 a year who owned their home, had savings and no debt. On the other side, I would meet senior level folks who made $250,000 a year but was in debt for $600,000. So, who is wealthy?

The best piece of advice is become more knowledgeable about money today. Don’t wait till the “when I have more money” moment. Good financial habits lead to better decisions and better opportunities.

Who are your financial role models?

I grew up listening to Suze Orman. I liked her in your face and dramatic flair for money. As I grew older, I started listening to everyday people I would meet at my retail banking job. Everyone had some sort of financial situation or advice that I learned from and carry on till this day.

I’ve kind of learned hard lessons and took in whatever people shared with me. When it comes to investing, I look up to Warren Buffet’s philosophy by investing in things I understand. With philanthropy, I look up to Bill Gates in his mission on education and giving back.

What personal finance sites do you read?

I read a bunch of personal finance blogs. I think about 20 that I actively read and at times comment. On occasion I’ll read Daily Finance, Reuters or USNews. But, I’ve found my twitter feed to be a great source of discovering what’s trending today and what my connections are buzzing about.

What else would you care to share with the readers of Frugaling?

I want to leave off with saying how important it is to seek knowledge. Knowledge never gets old. It evolves. It’s really important to make sure your constantly seeking information that can better your situation. The first step in becoming more knowledgeable is by asking questions. They don’t even have to be the right questions to begin with but the more you do the more you begin to understand.

Check out Jason’s website here.

I’m Desperate For A Financial Makeover

1. Analyze current accounts

2. Consider other accounts, options

3. Review decisions and new strategy

Should We Put An End To Mortgages?