Blog

Is the 15% rule for investing before tax or after tax?

Posted by Mike Pumphrey on August 26, 2019 | Featured

Once you’re out of debt, you’re ready to start saving for retirement. (Before you’re out of debt, you’re probably better off just focusing on that, though I think an exception is fair for extremely large debts like mortgages). A good … Read More … Read More

Tags: retirement, savings

I’m going to FinCon, because you are not a money nerd

Posted by Mike Pumphrey on August 19, 2019 | Featured

Why I’m going to FinCon 2019, and the difference between money nerds and the majority of people who just want to make money work for them. I admit it, I’m a money nerd. I read money blogs, read books about … Read More … Read More

Tags: FinCon, fincon 2019, fincon19

If you’re looking forward to payday, you’re probably doing it wrong

Posted by Mike Pumphrey on August 12, 2019 | Featured

I overheard a conversation recently about how someone was looking forward to payday, because they had “run out of money”. As always, I tend to wince when I hear people make financially questionable assertions: student loans are “good” debt, “I … Read More … Read More

Tags: paycheck

How to plan when you have irregular income

Posted by Mike Pumphrey on August 5, 2019 | Featured

Respect to all the freelancers, DIYers, and people out there without a steady paycheck. Also, your life is, shall we say, more complicated. With irregular income comes anxiety. How much will you make this month? Will it be more or … Read More … Read More

Tags: income, irregular

Would your future self say it’s too late now?

Posted by Mike Pumphrey on July 29, 2019 | Featured

While it may seem like it’s too late for you to achieve your money goals, that’s not true. To prove this, think about your future self. When some of my peers turned 30, a common thread among some of them … Read More … Read More

Tags: ageing, future, planning

Don’t try to run out the clock on your finances

Posted by Mike Pumphrey on July 22, 2019 | Featured

It’s a sobering statistic: 1 out of every 1 person dies. If you are of a certain age, and your finances are not where you want them to be, it is understandable that a certain feeling of helplessness can set … Read More … Read More

Tags: legacy

The Roth IRA danger zone (part 2): What to do if you contributed too much

Posted by Mike Pumphrey on July 15, 2019 | Featured

So we talked last time about the problems with being on the threshold of the Roth IRA income limits. If you make way too much or way too little, then you know where you stand in terms of being able … Read More … Read More

Tags: contributions, Roth IRA

The Roth IRA danger zone (part 1): What to do when you almost make too much to contribute

Posted by Mike Pumphrey on July 8, 2019 | Featured

A Roth IRA is awesome. There are lots of reasons, but the main one is that your money can grow and be withdrawn tax-free. So whatever you have in your account, that’s yours. Got a hundred grand? You’ve got a … Read More … Read More

Tags: high income

Inviting the repo man in: Using a home equity loan to pay off credit card debt

Posted by Mike Pumphrey on July 1, 2019 | Featured

Some people cut up their credit cards. Some people have them but keep them in a drawer. Some people may use them, but pay them off at the end of the month. I can see arguments for all of these, … Read More … Read More

Tags: HELOC, home equity

Is your money identity holding you back?

Posted by Mike Pumphrey on June 24, 2019 | Featured

I recently read the Seth Godin book “This Is Marketing”. On the back cover, and throughout the book, is the phrase “People like us do things like this.” At first I thought this might have been some weird marketing cult … Read More … Read More

Tags: identity, marketing

Blog

Is the 15% rule for investing before tax or after tax?

I’m going to FinCon, because you are not a money nerd

If you’re looking forward to payday, you’re probably doing it wrong

How to plan when you have irregular income

Would your future self say it’s too late now?

Don’t try to run out the clock on your finances

The Roth IRA danger zone (part 2): What to do if you contributed too much

The Roth IRA danger zone (part 1): What to do when you almost make too much to contribute

Inviting the repo man in: Using a home equity loan to pay off credit card debt

Is your money identity holding you back?

Empathic Finance - Mike Pumphrey, AFC®

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