“You should put aside at least 15% of your income for retirement, starting with your first paycheck,” I told my son. “You can include in that whatever your employer matches.” “They don’t match,” he answered. “Oh well, then it’s all on you,” I smiled. “It’s a good thing you’re starting early.” He had just started […]
Article after article on personal finance exhorts you to create a budget and a financial plan. You’re finally (reluctantly) willing to do it. But if you’re gonna do it, you really want to get it done already.
Thoughts about the fundamental basis of “Financial Independence, Retire Early” In the early 90s, I was approached by an Ameripise representative who wanted to sell me retirement planning services. I was taken aback, given that I was in my early 30s and broke, but I have to give the guy credit for being forward-looking :). […]
With a nod to Ben Le Fort for mentioning in an article this Wall Street Journal (WSJ) tool for estimating retirement costs, here is why I think you should absolutely use the tool, but also how to fix it so the results it gives you have a chance of working out. The Importance of Making a Retirement Plan […]
The ongoing pandemic and the economic upheaval it’s causing are tragic beyond words. Not being able to see and hug my kids or meet in-person with good friends is really hard. But even if we somehow set all those aside for a moment, there’s an embarrassingly less important thing that still gets me. I’ll confess […]
PSSST! WANT TO KNOW A SECRET? The Dirty Little Secret about Money Research proves money CAN buy happiness… “You may never be rich,” said my dad, “but once you become a tenured professor, you’ll be comfortable.” I was in my early 20s, just graduated with a bachelor of science in physics and math, about to start my graduate studies in physics, and wondering how […]
Why You May Be Pursuing FIRE “You’re not the boss of me!” You can almost see the defiant 5-year-old trying to establish his independence. You can probably still feel that way deep inside where your childhood self lives. Especially when your boss tells you to… stay late on an evening where you set a date […]
I’m just like you. I sometimes buy stuff I don’t really need. Just the other day, I got a digital $30 off coupon on orders of $60 or more. I immediately started browsing and (including shipping and sales tax) paid $54 for stuff I wanted, but didn’t really need. Keeping Up with the Joneses Is […]
In my mind, PMI is legally sanctioned theft – you pay tens of thousands of dollars for something that brings you no benefit, and that you could avoid by structuring your mortgage in a smarter way at a fraction of the cost.