Blog

Blog

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

Why not to trust frequent flyer programs

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  If you’re at all familiar with frequent flyer programs, you generally know that you earn “miles” for flying, generally one mile per mile flown. That’s the way it’s always been, as far as I can tell since the very … Read More … Read More

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Why signing up for an accelerated mortgage payment plan is a bad idea

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  Did you ever notice how when you move and submit one of those change-of-address forms, your new mailbox is automatically inundated with tons of ads for unnecessary crap? Entreaties to sign up for services like the Gravel of the … Read More … Read More

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3 reasons to get a post office box

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  I visited Portland for the summer before I moved there. While I was there, I signed up for a post office (PO) box for getting mail. My thinking was that it would be nice (and possibly advantageous) to jumpstart … Read More … Read More

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What to do about employee expenses

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  I currently have a “day job”, as my own projects, such as my integrative financial coaching service, aren’t self-sustaining (yet). As part of this day job, I’m sometimes asked to travel. It’s always on the company dime, but nevertheless, it’s … Read More … Read More

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Why I love it when markets tank

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Dollar cost averaging (DCA) can help you weather a bear market and make money in the long run no matter how the market performs. I just fired up the local news website and saw that the Dow, that oddly insufficient … Read More … Read More

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Did I take my own mortgage advice?

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  So the papers are signed and the move is complete. I’ll be living out of boxes for what feels like forever, but that doesn’t matter. I’m a homeowner now. I’m also back into debt, as I have a mortgage now. … Read More … Read More

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The best time to travel is coming up soon!

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  It’s getting to be my favorite time of the year in the US for flying! Planes will be empty, fares will be cheap, airports will be a breeze to get to and around in. I’ve already booked a flight, and … Read More … Read More

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One surefire way to pare down your possessions

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  There’s a lot of talk these days about minimalism. Apparently, we’ve all gotten so good at acquiring stuff that there now is a trend toward pairing down. It used to be that whoever had the largest house, the biggest amount … Read More … Read More

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The mortgage: debt’s final boss character

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  My friend Rami talks about many facets of life from the perspective of certain video games. And certain video game tropes do occassionally leak into other forms of art and even real life. For example, can anyone really read … Read More … Read More

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The homeowner’s “garden”: a little equity grows

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  Have you ever bought a home? Well, if you only have a single full time job, and want another one on top of it, well, this is the plan for you. Everything in this process seems to have resulted … Read More … Read More

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