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Blog

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

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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Cliff and view

Keep striving

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I had a topic in mind for this post. But right before I started typing, I stopped, because it didn’t feel as important (or as urgent). So, instead, consider the forthcoming a kind of mantra, or, if that seems too … Read More … Read More

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Vote. Without fear (if you can).

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I’m terribly sorry, but I need to interrupt this regularly scheduled blog post to remind you that you need to vote. (This post is centered on a U.S. audience because Election Day is the day after this post goes live. … Read More … Read More

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Sun rays

How do you know how much money you need?

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Let’s face it: you probably have no idea how much you need to save in your life. This isn’t your fault. Like so much of financial security, we’re not taught anything in a comprehensive, start-to-finish sort of way. So we … Read More … Read More

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Stairs light

Would you even want to win the lottery?

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I’ve spoken before about how it’s not worth it to play the lottery. As my college roommate once said to me (unimprovably, I thought), “you have about as much chance of winning the lottery if you play as if you … Read More … Read More

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Netting

My take on Dave Ramsey’s 7 Baby Steps (Part 2, Baby Steps 4-7)

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This post is part of a two-part series: My take on Dave Ramsey’s 7 Baby Steps (Part 1, Baby Steps 1-3b) My take on Dave Ramsey’s 7 Baby Steps (Part 2, Baby Steps 4-7) In my last post, I talked … Read More … Read More

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Mud crawling

My take on Dave Ramsey’s 7 Baby Steps (Part 1, Baby Steps 1-3b)

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I offer my opinion and review of each of Dave Ramsey’s Baby Steps, starting with Baby Steps 1, 2, 3, and the often-forgotten Baby Step 3b. This post is part of a two-part series: My take on Dave Ramsey’s 7 … Read More … Read More

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