Blog

Blog

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

The surprising reason to care about Google’s “mobile-geddon”

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  Back in Februrary, the wizards at Google dropped this small bombshell: Starting April 21 [2015], we will be expanding our use of mobile-friendliness as a ranking signal. This change will affect mobile searches in all languages worldwide and will … Read More … Read More

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The importance of reconnecting with the joys of flight

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  It seems obvious to the point of banality to complain about air travel these days. From the dehumanizing and pointless security to the dehumanized and surly people (both employees and fellow travelers). The lines. The screaming kids. The delays. … Read More … Read More

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The temptation

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  Every one has something that puts a gleam in their eye, that makes their resolve waiver. When you see it, you want it, and you’re likely to find any rationalization to get it. You may think that for me, … Read More … Read More

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Why AwardWallet and not Mint?

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  Over the last few posts, I’ve talked about how unnecessary (and potentially perilous) tracking your spending using an online service can be. The most popular of these services, bar none, is Mint. And sure enough, comments showed up extolling … Read More … Read More

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Low-tech alternatives to using an online budget-tracking service

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  I admit that when you’re new to something, it’s easy to get overwhelmed and not know where to start. “Just tell me what to do” is a common refrain in this situation (which explains diet books, and I’m not … Read More … Read More

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In-app-ropriate: don’t use an online service to track your spending

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  There are numerous sites and apps where you can sign up to manage your money, track your spending, and all of that. From what I’ve seen, they range from okay to horrendous, depending on what their angle is (and … Read More … Read More

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Rapid flash beacons, or how to be a chicken about crossing the road

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  Behind the wheel, we tend to become more sociopathic. Am I the only person who has heard the quip “10 points!” when you see a pedestrian infringing on your (car’s) road space? And I’m speaking as a car owner as well, so … Read More … Read More

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In defense of jaywalking

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  “Here, we’d just speed up and turn our wipers on.” – Bill Hicks, on what would happen in Texas if a pedestrian tried to randomly cross the road Portland and New York City are very different places. (Film at … Read More … Read More

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Conferring with the enemy (Part 2): Fulfilling minimum spend requirements on a credit card

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All posts in this series: Conferring with the enemy (Part 1): A credit card for a travel plan Conferring with the enemy (Part 2): Fulfilling minimum spend requirements on a credit card Conferring with the enemy (Part 3): The waiting (for … Read More … Read More

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Conferring with the enemy (Part 1): A credit card for a travel plan

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All posts in this series: Conferring with the enemy (Part 1): A credit card for a travel plan Conferring with the enemy (Part 2): Fulfilling minimum spend requirements on a credit card Conferring with the enemy (Part 3): The waiting (for … Read More … Read More

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