Wednesday, October 3, 2018

New Betterment Feature

One of the things I like best about Betterment is how automated it is. Last month they introduced a new feature that I think adds a lot of value. They added a money market option, and tied it with their bank link feature. With this you can automate betterment to grab extra cash you have in your account and move it to a high yield savings account. This is a good option for those still building an emergency fund, or saving for short term goals like an appliance purchase or weekend getaway where putting your money in the stock market, and even bond market, doesn't make sense.

Sunday, September 9, 2018

Privacy and the Internet - Part 1 - What's at stake?

Let's face it, you do a lot on the internet now. It's no longer a hobby or a luxury; access to the Internet is a utility in this country. Not only do most homes have internet access, but it has become expected that many bars, restaurants, and coffee spots are hot spots where "free" wifi can be accessed.

But now that we're comfortable with using the web for everything from chatting with distant (and not so distant) friends, banking, shopping, searching for doctors, and researching day care centers, we need to ask who else is aware of our movements on the web.

Most people don't understand how the Internet works. This isn't surprising. Much like the rest of our reliable utilities, we take their function for granted. The details of how the electricity or natural gas actually gets from the supplier to the house are boring and seemingly not relevant to our lives.

Right up until there is an outage.