Blog

Why the flex spending account is ridiculous

Posted by Mike Pumphrey on March 19, 2015 | Featured

I found myself recently in a large national chain pharmacy store late at night, wandering the aisles and thinking to myself: “Now what else can I find to spend money on?“ This ridiculous question sums up so much of … Read More … Read More

Tags: flexible spending account, money, pharmacies, pre-tax, taxes

Spend a third less on medical expenses

Posted by Mike Pumphrey on March 16, 2015 | Featured

If I told you that you could spend up to a third less on your medical expenses, would you be interested? Well you can. It’s called the Flexible Spending Account (FSA), and it’s usually available through employers. This is … Read More … Read More

Tags: expenses, flexible spending account, medical, self-employment

On responding to “withering” cultural pressure

Posted by Mike Pumphrey on March 12, 2015 | Featured

Our parents got peer pressure all wrong. The apocryphal “dealer on the playground” never existed, at least not in my experience. No one ever said “it’ll make you feel good” to me, and I never heard anyone I knew … Read More … Read More

Tags: David Foster Wallace, peer pressure

Home ownership revisited

Posted by Mike Pumphrey on March 9, 2015 | Featured

One of my very first posts at Unlikely Radical was titled “Why renting is better than owning“. Later, I noted that while some people feel that home ownership provides a feeling of security, others will feel exactly the opposite. … Read More … Read More

Tags: home, home ownership

Why foreign transaction fees are (annoying but) no big deal

Posted by Mike Pumphrey on March 5, 2015 | Featured

WARNING: This post contains math. Are you old enough to remember travelers checks? When I went on my first trip abroad when I was much younger, that was still the de facto method of using currency when in a … Read More … Read More

Tags: banks, credit cards, debit cards, fees, foreign transaction fees, international travel, travel, travelers checks

What karaoke taught me about self-identity

Posted by Mike Pumphrey on March 2, 2015 | Featured

I’ve often said that there are two types of people in this world: those who think there are two types of people in this world, and those who don’t. Sorry, I’ll start again. I’ve often said that there are … Read More … Read More

Tags: identity, karaoke

How your mode of travel affects your experience

Posted by Mike Pumphrey on February 26, 2015 | Featured

I recently attended Dan Savage’s Valentine’s Day live event. I’ve actually spent the past three V-Days with Dan, but this is the first year he came to my town instead of me going to his. The event was in … Read More … Read More

Tags: Dan Savage, driving, Portland, walking

How placemaking can influence personal transformation

Posted by Mike Pumphrey on February 23, 2015 | Featured

I’ve written a lot about issues of urban planning and placemaking. Mostly this is because this is an area of obsession fascination with me and I find myself having lots to say on the topic. But still, as this … Read More … Read More

Tags: placemaking, transformation, urban planning

Why defunding a mismanaged system is wrong

Posted by Mike Pumphrey on February 19, 2015 | Featured

So whether or not you believe that transit is too expensive or should be free, the story of the group in Stockholm using collective fare dodging as a way to save money and inspire change is an interesting one. … Read More … Read More

Tags: funding, Ronald Reagan, transit

Should transit be free?

Posted by Mike Pumphrey on February 16, 2015 | Featured

It’s a drag to have to pay for public transit, right? I know the feeling. As a teenager, I could certainly have put that money to different uses. When I first went to Europe and discovered transit systems that … Read More … Read More

Tags: civil disobedience, collectivism, fares, insurance, transit

Blog

Why the flex spending account is ridiculous

Spend a third less on medical expenses

On responding to “withering” cultural pressure

Home ownership revisited

Why foreign transaction fees are (annoying but) no big deal

What karaoke taught me about self-identity

How your mode of travel affects your experience

How placemaking can influence personal transformation

Why defunding a mismanaged system is wrong

Should transit be free?

Empathic Finance - Mike Pumphrey, AFC®

Helping therapists and other helping professionals thrive with money and eliminate financial anxiety forever.

What I offer

Learn more

Contact Info

Socialize