Blog

Blog

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

Medical files

Can you use an HSA to save for retirement?

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Last time, I talked about the health savings account (HSA), and how it offers an unprecedented triple-tax advantage: the money you contribute for qualified medical expenses is tax-free, grows tax-free, and can be withdrawn tax-free. It’s like your own little shell … Read More … Read More

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Hats rodeo

The investment hat trick: The health savings account (HSA)

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When I started my new job, one of the items on my list was to sign up for an FSA (flexible spending account). Now I’ve talked about the FSA before. An FSA is great, in that you can put money … Read More … Read More

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This is why I don’t pick stocks

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I’ve often said that my one big stock tip is don’t invest in stocks. There’s too much volatility, too much risk, and not enough gain. We often say that if we had only invested in Apple in 1995, or Amazon … Read More … Read More

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Cryptic Crossword

If you don’t understand it, don’t invest in it

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I took a new job last month, as I mentioned previously. While it is not in the finance industry, it’s in a space such that people often talk about financial transactions, venture capital, and especially about future developments in tech. … Read More … Read More

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Dice

The three questions to ask yourself before you gamble (on anything)

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(Note from after this post was written: Oy, what terrible timing to write about Las Vegas. My heart breaks for everyone affected by the horrors that transpired there this past week. There may not be any justice or sense in … Read More … Read More

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Gold lights

Are you investing or just speculating?

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The economics of the household aren’t great. Not only do you need to keep a reasonably good-paying job for at least four decades, but also you need to plan for a period of your life, say the last third of it, … Read More … Read More

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Frozen twig

Maybe don’t freeze your credit just yet

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Since the Equifax dumpster fire breach, I’m still on the fence about freezing my credit. Perhaps this is surprising. After all, now that my information, along with 143 million others, has likely been taken by who-knows-who for who-knows-what purpose, it … Read More … Read More

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Space trail

Get your credit reports all at once or spread them out?

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If you’ve been thinking that I’ve been silent about the Equifax breach because I haven’t cared, you’d be wrong. Instead, I’ve been feeling a mix of fear and despair, not unlike what I felt on November 9th this past year, … Read More … Read More

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Seam

Why signing up for promotions you don’t think you’ll use is a good idea

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I’m not into extreme couponing. I find that I don’t need 27 cans of tomato sauce or 40 boxes of cereal. I live in a relatively small place, and I barely can rationalize a Costco membership, much less having a second … Read More … Read More

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Limbo

Why a new job might be best treated as an emergency

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I just got a new job! (Don’t worry, I’m not shutting down this site.) Getting a new job is an exciting and terrifying time, one of the big life transitions. As it’s not a stretch to say that we spend … Read More … Read More

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