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Blog

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

Fire rainbow

Getting to 15%: How to determine the best investment vehicles

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I believe that the optimal target when saving for retirement is to put away 15% of your income. Potentially more, but certainly not less. Here’s why. Getting to the point where you’re ready to put down 15% is hard. You … Read More … Read More

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Purple flower

How to open a savings account with Ally

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(Note that I don’t receive any commissions for posts like this. This is just, like, my opinion, man. Nevertheless, please read my disclosure policy.) For the longest time, the standard for an online savings account was a bank called ING Direct. … Read More … Read More

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Network cables

Affiliate mania, problem companies, and bling: Notes from the exhibition hall at FinCon 2017

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After a while, you realize that conferences tend to have a lot of the same characteristics. They tend to have: Cavernous breakout rooms with uncomfortable chairs and a water pitcher by the door A wheeled table with coffee and tea … Read More … Read More

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Red buckets

Where to put your buckets

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[Hi all. I’m at FinCon this week, and while I wanted to write a post about it while I’m here, it’ll have to wait until I get back. In the meantime, the show must go on!] I’ve talked about the … Read More … Read More

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Conference attendees

My goals for FinCon 2017

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It’s hard to believe, but FinCon 2017 is already here. Wasn’t it just recently that I mentioned how I had bought a ticket for the conference? No, actually that was last December. FinCon is a gathering for those in the … Read More … Read More

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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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