how to choose a retirement strategy - or not
Are you the type of person who gets excited about new ventures? Do you like a challenge? Many people have an ‘ah-ha’ moment when they decide to get out of debt, start living a frugal lifestyle and aim towards financial freedom instead of pursuing the accumulation of stuff. One more pitfall exists early on in [...] Read more »
8 questions to ask before buying ‘stuff’
Thoreau said that we will be “rich in proportion to the number of things which we can afford to let alone.” There are 8 questions you can ask yourself every time you think about buying any stuff. By stuff, I mean anything which is not directly required for the continuation of your existence. Food and [...] Read more »
should I tip or not?
If you’re careful with your money you probably face a frequent dilemma of how much to tip various people in service positions. Tipping ranges from the $3 slipped to a doorman who hails a cab to a couple of hundred for some guys who move your stuff cross-country. Before I was married, I used to [...] Read more »
you know, you might be a personal finance redneck if…
With the holidays almost on us, I decided rather than posting a serious piece, I’d just post a little lighthearted thing that I wrote a while back. It’s all in good fun - I grew up in a small town in Mississippi, and now I’m back in a small town in Florida, so don’t think [...] Read more »
never underestimate the influence of a teacher
After writing my post on my grandparent’s influence on my investing habits, my Mom clarified on how my grandfather got “into” investing and I thought it was worth a guest post. Lightly edited: how a Depression-era farm boy got into stocks. Largely in my mom’s words… Your grandfather’s 8th grade teacher, Mr. Woodfin, who was [...] Read more »
Citi cards for college students
In accordance with the new FTC regulations – which still confuse me a bit – I’d like to VERY clearly state that I was compensated for this post: yes, I was compensated for writing this post. I was not asked to provide a positive review in return for the compensation, the opinion I express below [...] Read more »
expanding your means
“Most people would rather live within their means rather than expand their means.” – Robert Kiyosaki, Retire Young, Retire Rich Most of us would rather be rich than poor. Rich may not mean monetarily rich – it may mean experiences, family, friends – but generally wealth enables the accomplishment of many other goals. How can [...] Read more »
how to manage money
I have an account – several, actually – with TD Ameritrade. I like TD Ameritrade well enough. The fees are reasonable for trading and they have a fairly user-friendly interface. I manage my own money so I’m not looking for many bells and whistles. Yet every time a trickle of money enters my account, they [...] Read more »
leaving the northeast, a retrospective
I was browsing through my archives (I’ve forgotten quite a few of my posts) and I came across Why I Will Not Live in the Northeast Forever. I wrote it almost a year before we decided to move to Florida. Some thoughts… A constant topic of conversation I have with my wife Bubelah is where [...] Read more »
lack of communication, or stupidity?
I was listening to Dave Ramsey’s podcast and a woman called in. She wanted to ask a routine question about life insurance, but when quizzed by Dave she made a startling admission: Dave: “So what does your husband make per year?” Woman: “I’m not quite sure.” He quizzed her a bit more. He thought at [...] Read more »
the shame and the glory
“Don’t feel the need to keep up with the Joneses” is one of the rallying crys of the personal finance blogosphere. I’ve always felt that someone who’s new to managing their money comes to this philosophy with a great deal of excitement. You feel liberated the first time you buy a new cell phone/shoes/shirt and [...] Read more »