Blog

Blog

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

How to start an emergency fund when money is tight

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When money is tight, an emergency fund is even more important. Here are some strategies to get you to put something, anything, away. You need an emergency fund. An emergency fund is not savings. You need that too, but that’s … Read More … Read More

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Five reasons why my approach is better than Dave Ramsey

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I discuss the many shortcomings of the Dave Ramsey approach to personal finance, and show better ways to help more people. I’ve mentioned Dave Ramsey numerous times over the years. I’m not here to bash Dave, at least not without … Read More … Read More

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Beyond the Debt Snowball: Other ways to pay off debt (and are they worth it?)

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I look at some non-traditional methods of paying off debt to see if they are any better than the Debt Snowball method. The problem: you have multiple debts, all with varying amounts, interest rates, and payback timelines. Some are secured … Read More … Read More

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You cheat not only the game but yourself when you don’t track all your spending

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The meme “You cheated not only the game but yourself” applies equally well to when you hide certain purchases from your spending tracking. I don’t know how up you are on your Twitch streamers, but I quite enjoy watching certain … Read More … Read More

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Why we live in a Squid Game economy

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I look at “Squid Game” and see the failings of our own economy, as well as lessons on what we could do to create more wealth for all. By now you’ve probably either watched Squid Game, the hit series on … Read More … Read More

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Do you really need that many mutual funds?

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I look at “lazy portfolios” as an option for people who want the simplest and easiest way to invest in the market. (Note: This is not investment advice. Please see my Disclosure Policy for details.) Recently, I took a look … Read More … Read More

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Amazon Prime doesn’t save you money

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You may think you’re getting one over on them when you have Amazon Prime, but Amazon is laughing all the way to the bank. I want you to cancel your Amazon Prime subscription. I don’t say this because I hate … Read More … Read More

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How to make less money

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When you need to (or want to) live on less, here are the steps you can take to streamline your spending so you can afford to make less money. Last time, I talked about what to do in order to … Read More … Read More

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How to make more money

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If you have a job and you want to make more money, I’ve got a plan to help you get there. (Just figure out how much you want first.) I’ve spent lots of time talking about the problems around the … Read More … Read More

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How a children’s TV show taught me about compound interest

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I discuss a skit from Square One Television involving a doubling allowance to show how our brains can’t grasp how compound interest works. There are some random things that stick in a kid’s brain. I remember a movie called The … Read More … Read More

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