Blog

Blog

Musings on personal finance and more. Not written with AI since 2012.

Why do you feel poor?

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  Many people are feeling poor these days. “The down economy and all.” “So much debt.” “My rent keeps going up.” “Government taking more of my hard-earned money.” There are loads of reasons. There is a difference between feeling poor … Read More … Read More

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How to defeat the lawn mower army

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  Walk outside your house and look around on your street. Chances are that you can see maybe a dozen houses. Now I want to let you in on a secret: Everyone of those houses probably has a lawn mower. … Read More

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You may be lonely, but not forever

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  It’s going to happen. As you forge your own path, as you say no to what people around are saying yes to (and vice versa), some people are bound to not understand. You’re going to get resistance. “That’s not … Read More … Read More

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Lessons from a burning building

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A parable about change and what it takes to be able to make it happen, from the perspective of the ledge of a building. Have you ever wondered how someone could jump off the ledge of a building that’s on … Read More … Read More

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Your electronics buying guide

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  My MP3 player died recently. It died a valiant death after a good seven years of use. Actually, it was closer to a decade, since I bought it used. And while I was sad, I can’t say that I … Read More … Read More

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How school failed us

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  I always loved school. Did I just lose you? If so, that’s okay, see you next time. … Read More

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How to use induced demand to your advantage

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  In my last post I talked about induced demand, the counter-intuitive idea that when there is a greater supply of a resource, more of it is used.  I see this most often in discussion of transportation issues, where people … Read More … Read More

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What highway congestion can teach you about your goals

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  Many of you spend a large chunk of your life stuck in traffic.  And I feel for you; I lived in New York City with a car for seven years, and while I never commuted to work using my … Read More … Read More

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Why reaching your goal isn’t the goal

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  Hopefully by now, the new year has gotten off to a good start.  If you’re in school you’re either back at your desk or are soon to be there.  If you’re at a standard job, you’re back at it, … Read More … Read More

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My wishes for you in the new year

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  We all know the inadequacies about resolutions.  They are too pithy, too obvious, too banal, and they just don’t work. Nevertheless, I do think that the end of the year is a good time for reflection. … Read More

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