Blog

Blog

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

What are your big money moves?

Posted by on | Featured

I discuss the high-level “money moves”, the important decisions you can make that will be the most impactful in your financial life. I hope by this point you’re not under the belief that just by cutting out coffee or by … Read More … Read More

Tags: , , , , ,

The Target problem: Managing (over)spending at the Everything Store

Posted by on | Featured

Target and other big retailers that sell a wide range of products present a challenge to those who wish to track their spending. Target has been around for decades, but it only hit my radar in college, when the first … Read More … Read More

Tags: , , ,

Debunking Ben & Arthur: How to win at investing even if you start later

Posted by on | Featured

The parable from the Dave Ramsey team about Ben and Arthur is fatally flawed, which is good news for pretty much everyone. Everyone knows that you should start saving for retirement early. And that makes sense. The sooner you start, … Read More … Read More

Tags: , ,

Going for my AFC certification: How I got my 1,000 hours

Posted by on | Featured

I detail how I met the 1,000 Experience Hours requirement to become an Accredited Financial Counselor (AFC). Two years ago, I decided to get my Accredited Financial Counselor (AFC) certification. While I believe that you don’t need official credentials to … Read More … Read More

Tags: , , ,

Why inflation might worry you (but probably shouldn’t)

Posted by on | Featured

I wade into popular economics to interpret recent higher inflation rates, to see if there is any merit in being concerned. I remember my first savings account that my parents opened for me when I was a kid. It was … Read More … Read More

Tags: , ,

Why Ally’s Surprise Savings is terrifying

Posted by on | Featured

I explore the Surprise Savings product from Ally and suggest a different way to achieve the exact same results. Last night, I was logging on to Ally to adjust some of my automatic transfers between my checking account and my … Read More … Read More

Tags: , , ,

Why I don’t talk about FIRE

Posted by on | Featured

I discuss the FIRE (Financial Independence / Retire Early) movement, and how it falls short for so many of us, despite all of the hype. FIRE (Financial Independence / Retire Early) is a financial strategy or philosophy that encourages minimalist … Read More … Read More

Tags: , , ,

Don’t let your husband manage all of your money

Posted by on | Featured

In our culture, it’s not uncommon for a woman to let her husband take care of all of the household finances. Here’s why that’s a problem. Disclaimer: I’m going to leap into the mono- and heteronormative for this post, but … Read More … Read More

Tags: , , ,

What to do with company stock

Posted by on | Featured

Some employees receive company stock as part of their total compensation package. Here’s what you want to do with it (and why). Note: This is not financial advice. Please see my disclosure policy for details. If you’re fortunate enough to … Read More … Read More

Tags: ,

What to do after an emergency has passed

Posted by on | Featured

Dealing with an emergency is challenging, but there is also an important process for getting back to normal after an emergency has passed. Mostly everyone has some experience of what it’s like to deal with an emergency. The pandemic has … Read More … Read More

Tags: