Blog

Blog

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

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

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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

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Are you a “temporarily embarrassed millionaire”?

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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 More

Don’t fear the warranty

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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

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How to pay off a $10,000 debt

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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

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Should you let your partner handle your money for you?

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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

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Why a terrible savings account rate is actually just fine

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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

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Are people fundamentally good or bad?

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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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Why I want to be the “Dave Ramsey for the heathens”

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Dave Ramsey has helped millions, but he ignores LGBT, polyamory, and nontraditional communities. So I’m bringing the good ideas to everyone. Are you familiar with “The Five Love Languages” book by Gary Chapman? It’s a book that describes the different … Read More … Read More

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Eviction in the pandemic: Owning versus renting

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There is a big difference in how quickly eviction can occur for renters versus owners when dealing with non-payment of rent or mortgage. The to-rent-versus-to-own issue when it comes to housing is a tough one. And that’s assuming you have … Read More … Read More

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It doesn’t matter how much money you have. It matters how you feel.

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We think that more money is the answer, but what we’re really seeking is a way to feel better. That’s what really matters. Everyone is selling success. You see this in people’s perfect lives on Instagram, their perfect bodies, their … Read More … Read More

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