In a nation that was proud of hard work, strong families, close-knit communities, and our faith in God, too many of us now tend to worship self-indulgence and consumption. Human identity is no longer defined by what one does, but by what one owns. But we’ve discovered that owning things and consuming things does not satisfy our longing for meaning. We’ve learned that piling up material goods cannot fill the emptiness of lives which have no confidence or purpose.

The symptoms of this crisis of the American spirit are all around us. For the first time in the history of our country a majority of our people believe that the next five years will be worse than the past five years. Two-thirds of our people do not even vote. The productivity of American workers is actually dropping, and the willingness of Americans to save for the future has fallen below that of all other people in the Western world. As you know, there is a growing disrespect for government and for churches and for schools, the news media, and other institutions.

This is not a message of happiness or reassurance, but it is the truth and it is a warning. These changes did not happen overnight. They’ve come upon us gradually over the last generation, years that were filled with shocks and tragedy. …

Looking for a way out of this crisis, our people have turned to the Federal government and found it isolated from the mainstream of our nation’s life. Washington, D.C., has become an island. The gap between our citizens and our government has never been so wide. The people are looking for honest answers, not easy answers; clear leadership, not false claims and evasiveness and politics as usual. What you see too often in Washington and elsewhere around the country is a system of government that seems incapable of action. You see a Congress twisted and pulled in every direction by hundreds of well-financed and powerful special interests. You see every extreme position defended to the last vote, almost to the last breath by one unyielding group or another. You often see a balanced and a fair approach that demands sacrifice, a little sacrifice from everyone, abandoned like an orphan without support and without friends. Often you see paralysis and stagnation and drift.

You don’t like it, and neither do I. What can we do? First of all, we must face the truth, and then we can change our course. We simply must have faith in each other, faith in our ability to govern ourselves, and faith in the future of this nation. Restoring that faith and that confidence to America is now the most important task we face. It is a true challenge of this generation of Americans.

Sounds a little bit like a diatribe from right- (or left-) wing radio, doesn’t it? Take a guess at who said it (answer at the end of the post).

5 Ways Social Media Can Cost You Money: I wrote about how to make money on Facebook a while ago, but you could easily flip that story over to the “other guy’s” side and realize that social media is definitely a good way to lose money, too. Be careful what you say online! On the other hand, here’s: How to use Twitter to find a job for the counter-argument.

Why the Economy is Not Relevant to Investing: I’d agree. The overall economy is, in many ways, a meaningless stat when it comes to investing, particularly in individual companies.

Where Are The High Paying Jobs?: No surprises here; the coasts, and particularly Washington DC.

And more:

• What Color is your Inflatable Slide?
• Beyond the Emergency Fund: The Frugal Pantry Project
• 3 Money Sucking Financial Innovations
• Who Do You Share Your Financial Status With?
• How to Pay Your Mortgage with a Credit Card
• The Upside of Downsizing
• Money, Happiness and Experiences

Answer: The speech is Jimmy Carter’s famously derided “malaise speech” – although he never used that word. I think he had a better idea of where we were headed than people were willing to give him credit for at the time. I’m not going to argue he was a great president, but you could certainly take that speech and plop it onto Fox – or MSNBC – and not miss a beat, couldn’t you?  Tells you something about how the more things change, the more they stay the same, don’t they?

nothing ever changes, and links is an original article from the website brip blap.

On to the links:

3 Reasons Why Most People Will Never Earn More Money — And What You Can Do About It!: It’s a good point, and frankly one that I have been guilty of: I spend more time explaining why I can’t than trying to do it. I could make more than I do, but I don’t.

What Will Retirement Look Like for Younger Generations?: It’s a depressing thought. The future of retirement in the US is bleak. If anyone tells you otherwise, they are kidding themselves. Even in the public sector, things are looking worse. In the private sector? Forget about it. Tell me how you can retire at a reasonable age if you’re a middle-of-the-road wage earner in America and I’ll tell you how I can sell you a lovely bridge in Brooklyn.

Pay Off Your Mortgage vs Pay Down Your Mortgage: One of the huge questions in personal finance: I’ve always thought that it was stupid to pay off one’s mortgage (because it locks up your money) but now? Not so sure.

Sucked Back into Obsessive Couponing: Saving money is bad. No, really. No, really…it’s not. I wish I did it more than I do.

Should Unemployment Benefits Be Extended?: Listen, there has to be a limit. One year, maybe. I pushed seven months, myself, and had to relocate halfway across American to find a new job (admittedly by choice of a new locale). But I have never felt guilty about getting that money – don’t forget, it’s money paid INTO the system as “insurance” – your unemployment benefits are benefits being paid back to you because you paid that money into a fund for unemployment benefits. No shame it drawing on that account….

Lending Club Loan Investment Update: Lending Club has been a great investment for me and I may put more in soon; peer-to-peer lending is still a good way to diversify past Wall Street.
Are You a To-Do List Bottom-Feeder?: I am. I let small things keep me from big things all. the. time. It kills me that I recognize this and can’t correct it.

And more…

• Seven Ways to Ruin Your Resume
• Five of the Best Websites for Freelance Writers
• Should You Invest in the Top Fund of the Decade?
• 8 Ways to Save Money in Europe

personal mission statement, and links is an original article from the website brip blap.

Here are  a few of my favorite reads this week:

A Frugal Daughter’s Guide to Back to School Shopping: Always interesting to get a different perspective – like a daughter’s, for example.

Should You Refinance Your Mortgage? Rates Are Low, But It Is Still a Tough Decision: I’m leaning towards doing a refi. I’ve got a good rate but the rates are so low now that the benefits to refinancing seem almost too good to believe.

To mini-retire or not to mini-retire? Escaping the Mundane: Great tips on how to break out from the “ordinary” life.

New UK Kindle a tax on literature?: Interesting take on the Kindle. My Dad LOVES his Kindle. I plan to get one soon – basically once the WiFi version hits $100.

7 Habits of Highly Frugal People: I’m working my way through this book for the second time (The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People). I didn’t like it so much the first time I went through but now I appreciate it more.

Why 99% Of Financial Advisors Should Be Shot Out Of A Cannon Need Extra Cash? There Are Only 4 Ways To Get It: The fours ways to make money are: * Start a business * Work more * Passive income * Spend less This is a great summary to clarify your thinking. Alternative income won’t just materialize. YOU have to DO something.

And a few more links that are worth reading:

• Invest in What You Know? (Part 1)
• Good News For Landlords & Investors
• 5 Good Reasons Buying a House Requires Planning
• $250,000 FDIC Insurance Limit Made Permanent
• No Health Insurance? Options for the Uninsured
• What to Let Go to Get to Know Wealth
• Losing a Job, Reclaiming a Life

try something new, and links is an original article from the website brip blap.

So due to the heat, another one of my fairly abbreviated link roundups.  In case you haven’t noticed, there’s a “what I’m reading online” box over on the lower right hand side of the front page of the blog that’s updated throughout the week.  I consider that a bit of an add-on to this weekly post.  Plus my “thoughts” tumblr blog and my twitter account usually have a few more links, too.

• BlogCrafted — build the blog you want!: A good consulting service if you need help building a blog.
• Download My Free eBook: Invest Like a Pro: A good eBook for investors from Generation X Finance – worth checking out if you’re interested in learning more about investing.

» The secret of education: An excellent and thorough breakdown of the value of higher education that makes reference to a post I wrote way back when, attacking the humanities and praising a practical education in the sciences (read both Jacob’s post and mine before you bash me, incidentally).

And more…

• Children of the Recession: How to Insulate Kids From Financial Fears
• Save Money on Razor Blades
• Deciphering the Insurance Puzzle – I (CMHC, Mortgage Life, and Term Life)
• How I Find Local Contractors on Angies List
• Developing Multiple Streams of Income
• Practice Contentment to Save Cash
• Getting Things Done: Where To Go Next

heat and links is an original article from the website brip blap.

On to the links:

My New Career: Stealing Cars in Oakland: Fun signs of the decline of the American empire…

Amazon Prime 1 Year Free for Students and Others: Amazon Prime is a great deal – I’ve been a subscriber to the plan for the last 5 years. It all depends on the volume of your orders from amazon, of course, but if you order more than a few orders a year it’s a good deal.

Our Credit Card Rewards Surprises: As far as I’m concerned, the American Express Blue cash rewards card is the best card out there – we put almost all of our household expenses on that card.

The Joy—and Value Received—of Community College: Let me start by saying I know nothing about community colleges. I didn’t ever go to one, knew few who did and don’t pay any attention to them. All that having been said, I love the idea of community colleges and wish they were better promoted. Many professions – my own, accounting/auditing included – could probably be just as well served by community college grads as by four-year college grads. Why we don’t promote these institutions more is beyond me.

The Siren’s Call of Passive Income: An interesting take on the ethical implications of “passive income.”

It Doesn’t Matter What Your Position Is Right Now, You Can Do Better: Great advice: “What can you do, right now, to start improving your situation? That’s the only question that matters. ” Quite true.

Networking Tips to Help You Find a Job: “Make sure to follow through. If someone provides you with a referral, make sure that you follow through quickly.” This is a small thing, but it’s one of the least-followed pieces of advice in the job-seeking world. I’m not nearly as good as I’d like to be at following up; but I’m better than many people are. Don’t offer to follow through if you won’t. And if you offer, and DO follow through – people WILL appreciate it.

The preservation of wealth: “In fact, I doubt there’s a rich person in the world getting by with an index tracker, a savings account, and a wodge of Government bonds.” Probably true. I’m convinced that index funds, savings, etc. are the mark of a small, non-rich mind. That having been said, they are also the mark of an educated, non-poor mind. There’s a big gray area between rich and poor that can be quite comfortable for many of us.

99 thoughts on losing 100 pounds: Hey, that sounds familiar… hah.

And more:

• The Secret to Getting Out of Debt: Forget Snowballs and Interest Rates
• Save and Cut Costs with Kids
• 5 Frugal Ways For You and Your Kids to Spend Summer Vacation
• Get Space Saving Furniture If You Live In A Small Space
• Taking Vacations Can Make You Money?

doesn’t anyone have a job, and links is an original article from the website brip blap.

Once again, I managed to get a bit behind on the links post, but for good reason. My parents have been visiting while Bubelah visited New York briefly to check on a sick relative. Once she returned, we also had a fun visit with my aunt and uncle, so it’s been busy! One of the things that I love about short-term unemployment is the freedom to spend time with people. Just for the record, the thing I hate about short-term unemployment is the lack of income. Even though we have a healthy go-to-hell fund, I hate seeing it eaten down.

Read this:

One miscellaneous announcement: I’d like to put up a series of posts from people talking about their takes on careers or entrepreneurship or anything like that, centered around the theme “why my work makes sense to me.” I don’t know if I’ll get a lot of response, but if you love what you do and want to write about it on brip blap, I’d love to share it. It’s part of a larger project I’m working towards (an e-book, I’m certain that’s a shock).

• Are You Spending Intentionally?
• Buying a New Car May Actually Be Cheaper Than a Used Car
• Tips on Buying a Laptop…
• Learning the Hard Way and Being Ready to Learn
• Emergency Fund or Retirement First?
• Big Family and Home Expenses Coming Up
• Teaching Kids About the Values of Money
• Selling Your House Isn’t Easy
• Blissful fantasies, early-morning daydreams
• Masters of Earning More: How Web Developer Ciaran Lyons Crushed His Barriers
• Most Livable Cities Also Very Affordable

yo soy español, and links is an original article from the website brip blap.

Links!

• Should I Walk Away from My Mortgage?
• Hulu Plus is Putting The Brakes on Free TV
• Market Conversations with a Co-Worker
• Can British Petroleum (BP) Go Bankrupt?
• 10 Cheap Kids Birthday Party Tips
• Home Buyer Tax Credit Extension
• No more McJobs
• How To Survive A Job Loss: Next Steps?
• Great Green Convenient Ways to Clean
• We Just Bought A House
• The Costs of Working

life strategies, and links is an original article from the website brip blap.

Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more;
Or close the wall up with our English dead.
In peace there’s nothing so becomes a man
As modest stillness and humility:
But when the blast of war blows in our ears,
Then imitate the action of the tiger;
Stiffen the sinews, summon up the blood,
Disguise fair nature with hard-favour’d rage;
Then lend the eye a terrible aspect;
Let pry through the portage of the head
Like the brass cannon; let the brow o’erwhelm it
As fearfully as doth a galled rock
O’erhang and jutty his confounded base,
Swill’d with the wild and wasteful ocean….

Read the rest.

One of my favorite poems/sonnets/monologues/sayings/etc., right along with “Kill them all, God knows His own“, “”I pray thee, then, Write me as one that loves his fellow men“, “anyone lived in a pretty how town” and “Annabel Lee“.  I bet you weren’t planning to get a list of Steve’s top five poetry/quotes selections, were you?   Oh, and I’ll throw in almost everything this dude said, too.

Once more, I’m off into between-contract land; my current contract is ending and no new one is in sight. Thankfully I have my go-to-hell fund ready and no panic whatsoever on the horizon. I’ll work more on self-employment and blog monetization, and see what comes next, without fear. It’s a better feeling than being laid off while living paycheck-to-paycheck, I bet.

You Can Be Rich Without Being Smart: Amen. This is something that’s not discussed often enough. I know a lot of smart middle class people and a lot of less-than-smart upper class people. It’s neither good nor bad – there’s no harm in being middle class – but book smarts are completely and utterly unrelated to “wealth smarts.” Far too many book smart types – like me – become risk-averse and complacent based on the idea that employment in a highly skilled position is “success.” Let me tell you – it’s not. Success is doing something you want to do, not just having the brains to do something you hate (but are good at doing).

The much maligned Robert Kiyosaki: Amen. Here’s the best quote, as far as I’m concerned: “His book – at the time – inspired me to look into the field of personal finance a LOT further.” I couldn’t agree more. He spouts a lot of junk, but his statements (like “a house is not an asset”) really struck a chord in me and made me think a LOT more about personal finance. Take everything he says with a grain of salt, but he will make you think…without a doubt.

Increasing Penalties for Health Savings Accounts: An interesting series, especially since I’m making the transition to an HSA account for my family.

Financial Challenges for the Class of 2010: I am very, very grateful I’m not a grad. Good luck to the 2010 grads, but man… the times they are a-changin’… and not for the better.

Watson Inc: Millionaires Make a Return To Boom Levels: Eliminate Consumer Debt and Build Wealth: Some interesting stats here. Rich (or rather, I should say “wealthy”, since that conveys a mindset/lifestyle rather than a purely numeric status) people make money even in “down” times.

8 Critical Steps Every Family Should Be Taking to Prepare for the Next Financial Crisis: There will be another financial crisis. The US is not in any way, shape or form situated for the rapid growth so many of us grew to know and love in the 90s and mid-oughts. Maybe there will be another bubble, but next time there won’t be as much money for a “stimulus” package. The money is running out. Inevitably, there will be a stopping point for Citi and AIG and all the other boondoggle spending.

Caretaking As a Career Option – What’s In It For You?: Huh. Well, not a career path I knew much about – it sounds interesting.

Live Sports: One More Reason to Get Rid of Cable: Er…not quite. The day the NFL shows up on Roku, though, I’ll be fairly close to killing my cable subscription.

Why It’s Frugal to Live in Colorado: I’ve never been there, which is weird to me. I’ve been to Siberia, Kuala Lumpur, Indonesia, the back country of Romania, etc. – and never to Colorado. I’d like to go, though – I have seldom heard anything but good about it.

And a few more:

• Solo 401ks and SEP-IRAs: Which Wins for Me?
• Choosing between Higher Education, Loans and Family
• TV Shows About How Rich People Got Rich
• The Benefit of Employee Benefits
• Borrowing Money from Family

And of course, the greatest poem of all time (except, possibly, this one):

OZYMANDIAS

I met a traveller from an antique land
Who said: Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert. Near them, on the sand,
Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown
And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
The hand that mocked them and the heart that fed.
And on the pedestal these words appear:
“My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:
Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!”
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare
The lone and level sands stretch far away.

Poetry started and stopped for me with that poem.  Amazing.  For the most part poetry and Shakespeare and the lot bore me, but once in a while, when I’m in a reflective mood, it blows me away.

once more into the breach, and links is an original article from the website brip blap.

Now you could argue that it’s simply the difficulties of having a small child in preschool (Little  Buddy) or maybe I have sickly work colleagues, or maybe it’s just bad luck. It’s infuriating not knowing, of course, because if I knew that our family was simply allergic to the plants of the climate or otherwise poorly dispositioned to the region I might be thinking of moving on.

On the other hand, we love the area, the schools and the climate (hot, but cool and breezy on the beaches).  So it’s an annoying development to be sick more times in the past year than I’ve been in the past five in New Jersey.

Link it up:

Don’t Be A Sucker: Why Private Schools Are Financial Rip Offs: Said it before and I’ll say it again – the gains to be made from going to a private school don’t offset the loss of cash. Unless your kid is studying to be a musical genius or something, it’s a waste.

6 Easy Ways to Save Money without a Budget: I don’t budget (although perhaps I should) and the main point is simply to be aware of your spending.

Are You Ready For A Social Security System Overhaul?: Dreading, but ready.  I don’t think any reasonably sober person expects Social Security to remain unchanged long-term.  Something will change.  My hope is simply that I’ll get something out of it – anything, really – before it disappears.  I’m not an alarmist (and I think most politicians are) but based on the way the system’s built it’s hard to see us surviving the Generation With The Greatest Opinion Of Themselves – aka the Boomers – without some changes.

Health Care Bill Impacts: Insurance Options for Young Adults, and related Health Savings Account (HSA) Basics: Health care’s just going to be a continuing pile of bureaucratic horrors in our country. I’m a fiscal conservative in many ways, but not in this one: single-payer government-provided health care (or a slightly modified version) is the way that every single other modern democracy has chosen to go. The US is bringing up the rear in this debate.

Are You Celebrating the Sex and the City Movie?:  Does the sun rise in the west?  I’ve complained for years that these characters are hideous people with awful behavior and almost psychotic obsessions with superficialities.  I would be embarrassed for any of them to be my friend.

And a few more…

• Seven Habits of Financially Healthy Couples:
• REIT Analysis using Funds from Operations (FFO)
• Raising a Frugal Dad: An Open Letter to My Son
• Are You Sandwich Material?
• Millionaire Mindset

the sick, and links is an original article from the website brip blap.

As I post this, the World Cup is kicking off. My once-every-four-years interest in soccer will briefly flare up, and I’ll pay attention for a week or two, then forget about it, then get excited about it towards the end. Or maybe not. It’s hard to get too excited about it, but I do realize it’s probably the biggest sporting event in the world.  And one of my links is related: Money and the World Cup

On to the links:

Are You Cut Out for a Freelance Job? Is Anyone?: I thought this was a very interesting expansion on my post, “Job Junkie.” I left a couple of lengthy comments…

How to Stockpile Food for Survival: I guess as westerners we never think of a time when we might not be able to readily obtain calories, but I suppose that Katrina should have taught us that natural disasters can occur. I have this on my permanent to-do list, though, and have yet to take any action on it.

Should The U.S. Banking Industry Be Regulated? Thoughts On Financial Reform:  I won’t get into details, but count me as someone who’s opposed to the current reforms being proposed.  They don’t go far enough and everyone’s going to walk around patting themselves on the back if they are enacted, and we’ll forget about it.  It’s not going to work.  There are still far too many institutions that are “too big to fail” and their risk-taking activities will be far worse than ever before – because now the precedent’s been established.

Drive-in Theaters – A Money-Saving Movie Experience: I haven’t seen one of these in years, and I can’t see how any survive except as complete and utter novelties, but I guess they do.

• Saving Money on Your Summer Utility Bills
• How to Attract the Best Tenants
• Save Your Marriage from Money Problems
• We Almost Bought a Vacation Home
• Women and Money
• Mom’s Gold Star Todd and Suzan share this week’s… (site is generally not safe for work, but cracks me up)

the world cup and links is an original article from the website brip blap.