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Musings on personal finance and more...

7 things I’m grateful for toward the end of 2020

A brief pause at Thanksgiving to talk about some things I can be grateful for in the closing weeks of 2020. 2020 hasn’t been great. Between the pandemic and the U.S.’s abominable response (not just the government, but also the … Read More … Read More

Why you may want to ignore the 4% rule for retirement withdrawals

The creator of the “4% rule” for safe retirement portfolio withdrawals doesn’t even believe in 4% anymore. That’s good news, as the actual safer percentage appears to be higher. So you’ve spent decades of your life building up a sizable … Read More …

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Don’t stop, no matter how (painfully) long it takes

In light of the 2020 election, it’s worth remembering that some dreams take years to come true. Or even decades. History says, Don’t hopeOn this side of the grave,But then, once in a lifetimeThe longed-for tidal waveOf justice can rise … Read More … Read More

Why a new fee on mortgage refinancing shouldn’t affect you

Refinancing a mortgage is getting pricier due to the Adverse Market Refinance Fee, but refinancing doesn’t offer the benefits you think. There’s a new fee in town. The Federal Housing Finance Agency has instituted a 0.5% fee on refinancing of … Read More … Read More

Are you a “temporarily embarrassed millionaire”?

I dissect the famous quote about how Americans don’t support social welfare policies because they see themselves as “temporarily embarrassed millionaires”, and how that mindset can be dangerous. I’ve been reading a fascinating book by the British radio show host … Read More … Read

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Don’t fear the warranty

You are probably never going to take advantage what the manufacturers offer, so don’t be afraid to void your warranties. My turntable has become a treasured item in my home, and especially during the pandemic, playing records has definitely been … Read More … Read More

How to pay off a $10,000 debt

Paying off debt requires drive, focus, patience, and accountability. In this post I show how you can pay off a large debt. In a recent YouTube video, I talked about a hypothetical $10,000 debt. Now, for many people, this sort … Read More … Read More

Should you let your partner handle your money for you?

When you share finances with a partner, you can outsource the budgeting to the one who is most interested, but there are good reasons not to. After doing this for many years, I’ve learned a surprising fact: not everyone is … Read More … Read More

Why a terrible savings account rate is actually just fine

Falling interest rates may seem like a concern, but it helps to illustrate what savings accounts are really for. I’ve also long talked about how you can use an online savings bank to get much higher interest rates than with … Read More … Read More

Are people fundamentally good or bad?

A false choice on judging people’s virtue is nonetheless responsible for whether we err on the side of helping too many or too few people. Oversimplifications are comforting. For some, the importance of saying, “this is right, and this is … Read More … Read More

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