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Blog

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

Old United truck

I let my United miles expire. Should I buy them back?

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Somewhere, someone at United Airlines is smiling. Frequent flyer mile expiration is an easy way for an airline to make more money. It’s a “currency” that the airline owns. They control how you use it, and if you don’t keep … Read More … Read More

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Ship mast

There is a race to the bottom in mutual fund fees, and we all win

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I’ve always believed that in business you can compete on price or you can compete on quality, but never both. Which is why we have basic economy on airplanes (which are as cheap as possible and as a consequence are … Read More … Read More

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Record player stylus

How to put barriers in place for your spending

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Numerous services exist to make spending easier. Contactless cards allow you to pay without even taking the time to swipe or insert. Apple Pay, Google Pay, Amazon Pay, Facebook Pay, Netflix Pay (okay not all of these are real, but … Read More … Read More

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Shoes

Woman tracks spending, finds out she spends more than she thought. Film at 11.

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I know that things that are obvious to some aren’t obvious to others. The phrase “it’s easy once you know how to do it” is both banal, profound, and very relevant. That said, when someone writes an article about something … Read More … Read More

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IQ tester

The benefits (and limitations) of Chris Hogan’s R:IQ assessment test

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I discuss the online R:IQ assessment test by Chris Hogan, which seeks to determine how much money you need to save up for your retirement. As mentioned in my review of Chris Hogan’s Retire Inspired book, a tool called the … Read More … Read More

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Little robot

Chris Hogan’s Retire Inspired: Another bionic book?

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Years from now, when the internet is as obscure and unknowable as Linear A, archaeologists are going to unearth books, still well-preserved, that say things like: “If you haven’t taken the R:IQ assessment yet, do it now! Take it for … Read More … Read More

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Touch cactus

Did I ever tell you how lucky you are?

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My favorite Dr. Seuss book, from the time I was a child to today, is Did I Ever Tell You How Lucky You Are? It’s always seemed a lesser known work of his, more McElligot’s Pool than Green Eggs and … Read More … Read More

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Ally now makes it easier to set up multiple savings accounts

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Ally has changed the way that you can create multiple savings accounts. This can make your savings plans much easier to implement. Update (February 2020): Ally now allows actual buckets! Read my review here. I’m a big fan of Ally. … Read More … Read More

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Bond camera shot

Why not avoid bonds too?

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Last time, I talked about my (thankfully?) fruitless attempt to buy tax liens as an alternative investment vehicle. I was initially attracted by the promise of high returns, but ultimately left feeling like what I was trying to do was—if … Read More … Read More

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Leaning tree

Tax liens, or that time I tried to profit from other people’s debt

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Right after college, I started taking an interest in investing. At the time, I worked with someone who was similarly interested. We’ll call him Ivan (not his real name). Ivan was the person who introduced me to Rich Dad Poor Dad. … Read More … Read More

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