Blog

Blog

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

My mortgage principle that I broke (sort of)

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  Finances and emotions. They go together like one explosively codependent couple. Don’t be fooled by my focus in the numbers side of the situation; I’m not immune to fear and anxiety either. I’m going through the process of becoming … Read More … Read More

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Why I’m going back into debt (or why I was never really debt-free)

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  I’ve long railed against debt. Debt slows you down from achieving what you want, and forces you to pay companies that don’t have your best interests in mind. I paid off my last debts four years ago, and I … Read More … Read More

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Why not pay cash for a home?

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  WARNING: This post contains math. There is definitely something compelling to owning your own home, from both a psychological standpoint but also a financial standpoint. But I’m not a fan of debt. You know this by now. And in … Read More … Read More

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How to live rent-free

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  If you rent your living space, it’s probably your largest recurring bill. By a fairly significant margin. (Or, at least I hope it is. If it’s not, either you’ve got a great living situation, or you’re in big trouble. … Read More … Read More

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When is it time to let your dream die?

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  Wow, is it just me, or is this time of the year been full of upheaval? Between people moving, relationships changing structure, and others switching jobs, it seems that nothing is nailed down. Maybe that’s what happens every year … Read More … Read More

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On being kicked out of my apartment, or Nothing is unexpected

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  Have you ever rented a place, and been very comfortable there, only to receive a voicemail message from your landlord that started like this: “I don’t know how to say this to you, but I just wanted to say … Read More … Read More

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What do “social insurance programs” have to do with personal finance?

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Last time, I wrote about someone who claimed that all of the important personal finance tenets could fit on an index card. And who then produced that index card. It contained nine ideas or suggestions, eight of which I tackled in … Read More … Read More

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Can everything you need to know about personal finance fit on an index card?

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  Two years ago, there was an article about someone who wrote down all of the important personal financial advice onto an index card. The theory being that everything important that you needed to know was simple, and that all the … Read More … Read More

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Clearing customs before boarding? US preclearance at Dublin Airport

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  The standard way to reenter the US when flying is as follows: 1. Check in 2. Go through security 3. Fly 4. Go through customs What this means, in a practical sense is: 1. Wait in line 2. Wait … Read More … Read More

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Why you never have to give out your email address to get online

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  Don’t you hate it when you can’t get online unless input your email address? How frustrating. Well I say, the hell with them. I’m talking about WiFi captive portals. These are the screens that show up when you first … Read More … Read More

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