Retirement Portfolio Update: 5-2-08

Grand Total = $7482.84

Roth IRA:

EFA (Euro-Asia Index ETF): 13.4492 @ $76.48 = $1028.59
IWM (Russell 2000 Index ETF): 12.6549 @ $72.52 = $917.73
SPY (S&P 500 SPDR Index ETF): 5.4482 @ $141.51 = $770.97
Sharebuilder Money Market Fund = $0.88

Taxable Investment Account:

AAV (Advantage Energy Income Fund): 9.218 @ $11.69 = $107.76
C (Citigroup): 20.00 @ $26.39 = $527.80

University 403(b):

UC Pathway 2040 Mutual Fund: 157.849 @ $13.03 = $2056.32

University DCP:

UC Pathway 2040 Mutual Fund: 79.559 @ $13.03 = $1036.43

CalSTRS:

Cash Balance Program: $1036.36

Associated Content Top 1000

I, Zachary Fruhling am officially a "Top 1000" content producer on Associated Content (see Zachary Fruhling's Content Producer Page). Woo hoo! While I am unsure of the exact criterion used to determine the Top 1000 content producers, I have a hunch that it is either total number of articles submitted or total page views. I have recently become re-excited about Associated Content as a means to passive income, seeing as how my residual performance payment income is out-pacing my investment dividends.

By no means have I given up on long-term investing as a means to financial security, but I have reaffirmed my commitment to produce content for Associated Content on a regular basis to supplement and grow my passive income.

For those who are unfamiliar with Associated Content, AC is a company that will pay their writers anywhere from $3.00 to $20.00 for short to medium length articles on a variety of topics, including product and restaurant reviews, local news, how-to articles, etc. In addition to an up-front payment, Associated Content also pays residuals based on the total number of continuing page views generated by your content.

Most of the articles I have written for AC are simple product or restaurant reviews, and how-to articles on a number of areas within my expertise. Here is a list of my top ten Associated Content articles, so you can get an idea of the type of articles that AC regularly pays for:

1) How to Whiten Your Teeth Cheaply with Hydrogen Peroxide as a Mouthwash (6063 Page Views)

2) How to Make a Lemon Battery (3505 Page Views)

3) How to Write with a Fountain Pen (3403 Page Views)

4) How to Improve Your Handwriting (3268 Page Views)

5) Lindemans Framboise Raspberry Lambic Beer is a Delicious Alternative to Traditional Beer (3223 Page Views)

6) Top Fin 10 Gallon Goldfish Aquarium Starter Kit (2990 Page Views)

7) Why Buy an iPhone When You Could Have $11,553? (2471 Page Views)

8) Mother's Circus Animal Cookies Are Fun and Delicious (1884 Page Views)

9) Splenda Vs. Sweet'N Low (1777 Page Views)

10) TetraFin Goldfish Flakes: How to Feed Goldfish Properly (1653 Page Views)

As you can see, the topic of each of these articles is narrowly focused but fills a specific niche that someone is likely to be searching for. None of these articles took more than 15 minutes or so to write, but I am receiving money from each of them each month, deposited directly into my Paypal account. If you have not yet given Associated Content a try, and if you write quickly with quality, then Associated Content may be a good way to generate and supplement your passive income.

You can click here to join Associated Content and start earning some money for your writing. You will not likely get rich by writing for Associated Content, but the passive residual income is worth the effort.

Dividend Update for 4-30-08

It has been a while since I posted an update of my dividend/distribution payments; so without further ado, here is a list of my dividend payments through today, 4-30-08, since my becoming an investor in January of 2007:

Roth IRA Dividends:

iShares MSCI EAFE Index ETF (EFA):

01/04/08: ($18.02)

iShares Russell 2000 Index ETF (IWM):

03/29/07: ($0.64)
07/05/07: ($0.86)
10/01/07: ($1.58)
01/03/08: ($2.18)
03/28/08: ($1.07)

S&P 500 Index "Spiders" ETF (SPY):

04/30/07: ($1.27)
07/31/07: ($1.62)
10/31/07: ($3.22)
01/31/08: ($3.49)
04/31/08: ($3.48)

PowerShares High Yield Dividend Achievers ETF (PEY):

04/30/07: ($1.11)
05/31/07: ($1.38)
06/29/07: ($1.39)
07/31/07: ($1.82)
08/31/07: ($1.82)
09/31/07: ($2.29)
10/31/07: ($2.25)
11/30/07: ($2.27)
12/31/07: ($5.25)

Money Market Fund:

02/21/07: ($0.47)
03/21/07: ($0.53)
04/23/07: ($0.64)
05/21/07: ($0.26)
07/23/07: ($0.36)
08/21/07: ($0.37)
09/21/07: ($0.26)
10/22/07: ($0.12)
11/21/07: ($0.34)
12/21/07: ($0.24)
01/31/08: ($0.06)
02/29/08: ($0.16)
03/31/08: ($0.29)


Taxable Account Dividends:

Advantage Energy Income Fund (AAV):

03/19/07: ($0.87)
04/18/07: ($0.91)
05/17/07: ($0.94)
06/19/07: ($0.99)
07/19/07: ($1.01)
08/17/07: ($0.99)
09/19/07: ($1.05)
11/19/07: ($1.12)
12/19/07: ($1.10)
01/17/08: ($0.88)
02/20/08: ($0.92)
03/19/08: ($0.93)
04/17/08: ($0.91)

Money Market Fund:

02/21/07: ($0.35)
03/21/07: ($1.55)
04/23/07: ($3.25)
05/21/07: ($4.62)
06/21/07: ($2.68)
03/31/08: ($0.06)

I Saved $160 in Bank of America Overdraft Fees

This morning I managed to negotiate my way out of paying $160 in overdraft bank fees. I had been running a little lower on cash in my checking account this week than I thought, and I managed to overdraw my account with several small charges. So today I called up Bank of America (NYSE: BAC) and requested that my excessive overdraft fees be removed. I had nearly $200 in overdraft fees due to multiple small debit charges, and it seemed to me that $200 in fees was excessive for such small debits. While Bank of America would not remove all the charges, the customer service representative on the phone generously offered to remove $160 worth of fees without any significant prodding on my part.

I have a somewhat mediocre opinion of Bank America as a whole, but I was especially pleased with the way I was treated on the phone today. And the lesson to you readers should be clear. Bank fees and charges that seem to be set in stone are actually quite negotiable, since financial institutions absolutely do not want to lose you as a customer. Do not lie down and let yourself be charged up the wazoo by your bank. In all likelihood a simple telephone call is all it will take to get those overdraft charges (or even credit card late fees) eliminated.

Job Experience and Training

A quick survey of any corporate job board will establish that the vast majority of available positions require several years of experience for the candidate to be considered for the job. While there is the age old conundrum of how exactly one is supposed to get experience if all the available jobs already require experience, my own view is that this trend is a sign of the negative state of the American economy.

In simpler and more prosperous times, companies could afford to pay for their employees' training. However, it is cheaper for a company to hold out for someone who already has the requisite skills for the job in question than to spend money to train someone on the job due to training's status as non-productive (i.e. non-revenue-producing) payroll hours.

But in today's questionable economy, such on the job training is as passé as employee pension plans. The net result is that today's job-seeker has an increased personal responsibility to provide his or her own training and to acquire the skills needed to fill whatever narrow niche the desired job satisfies in the overall corporate jigsaw puzzle.

Do you have any experience with this experience trend in the corporate world? Please share your experiences (no pun intended) and thoughts in the comments section.