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Blog

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

How to potentially earn free hotel nights by filling out and mailing index cards

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  I’m always on the lookout for ways to earn frequent flyer miles and hotel points without having to use credit cards. This is usually difficult. If you read travel hacking blogs, many of the articles have to do with … Read More … Read More

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Why the home mortgage interest deduction is a disappointment

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UPDATE: I originally made a math error below, and have corrected it. Apologies. UPDATE #2: I have another take on this. “Oh you’ve got a mortgage now!” goes Conventional Wisdom. “Now your taxes will be lower because you’ll be able to … Read More … Read More

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Which is better, a tax credit or a tax deduction?

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  WARNING: This post contains math. This is one of those posts that is a challenge to write. Since everyone is in different places and with different levels of financial literacy, I can’t expect everyone to have the same level … Read More … Read More

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What is the minimum needed to start investing for retirement?

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  Okay, so say you’re ready to invest. You’ve either paid off all your debts, or you’re not going to listen to me and want to get started now, regardless. Either way, I’ve got your back. Let’s also say that … Read More … Read More

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How to know if you’re financially ready to start investing

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  I’ve talked a lot about investing on this site. This is both because this is where a lot of my focus is in my own life (that and my final boss character), but also because it’s where I think … Read More … Read More

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How to pay for a deductible

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  I wrote about how to choose a deductible. Here is the equation we came up with. Choose a higher deductible over a lower one when: In general, I recommend higher deductibles over lower ones. A $1,000 deductible might seem … Read More … Read More

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How to choose a deductible

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  WARNING: This post contains math. My car was hit the other day. We got a freak snow storm here in normally-rainy Portland, and people do not know how to handle driving in this weather. (To be fair, Oregon doesn’t salt … Read More … Read More

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You’re surviving, but are you thriving?

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  With the new year upon us, most people are detoxing from too many holiday parties, too much holiday travel, and and way too much holiday food/drink/board games (or whatever else you did to excess). I don’t begrudge anyone excess, … Read More … Read More

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Meet me in Portland for a financial round-table discussion group!

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  In this new year, I continue to post twice a week, every week, as I’ve done since I started this site. I do this because I believe that consistent application of effort is the best way to achieve any … Read More … Read More

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What will you do differently this year?

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  WARNING: This post contains physics. I love the last two weeks of the year, because it feels like the calendar equivalent of the space after the comma in a sentence; it’s not what comes before and it’s not what … Read More … Read More

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