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Musings on personal finance and more...

Why self-sufficiency is a myth

  The guy at the table was describing his situation growing up. “We were totally off the grid, pumping our own well water and everything. We were totally self-sufficient.” As a suburbs kid, I couldn’t deny that I was impressed. … Read More … Read More

Travel hacking to challenge your ethics

  The speaker was talking about a particular product, and was asking the crowd how many of this product the members of the audience had. A show of hands. One person in the crowd asked: “Isn’t that product limited to one … Read More … Read More

How to live without a smartphone

I’ve talked before about how I’m a great fan of the dumbphone, that is, a mobile phone without internet/web capabilities. I’ve never owned a smartphone, in fact, and don’t plan to get one, at least as long as I can … Read More … Read More

Why I like the Roth IRA (though it’s not why people think)

  So I hope you’ve done your taxes for the year. I used a certain online program to do my taxes, and one of the questions asked was “Did you contribute to an IRA [Individual Retirement Arrangement] this year?” If … Read More … Read More

Taxes, or the opposite of simplicity

  Each year for me, tax season goes pretty much the same way: I fire up one of the big online hosted tax programs, enter in my info, take the Standard Deduction, get something approximating zero dollars back (I try … Read More … Read More

How badly do you want it?

  Stop for a second and think about what you want most. It could be worldly or ethereal, it doesn’t matter. And to be clear, I mean the first idea that came to mind. Don’t skip over it because you … Read More … Read More

Your fear is someone’s security (and vice versa)

  I was engaged in a conversation about guns. On one side, the need for owning guns to protect oneself and one’s family seemed unassailable. On the other side, horror. On one side, the importance of safe, responsible gun ownership, … Read More … Read More

What’s wrong with the American vacation?

  Over the past few weeks, I’ve been in four different countries, three of them for the first time. I’ve flown, taken long distance trains over mountain passes, rented a car and driven around (and around and around) fjords, stayed … Read More … Read More

Is it better to travel alone or with others?

  Over the past few weeks, I’ve had the great pleasure of being able to travel internationally with two friends of mine. This is a treat, as it’s been almost a decade since I traveled internationally with anyone, and never … Read More … Read More

The mindset you need for traveling

  Greetings from another new country. I’m in Norway right now, on my grand tour of the Great European North. I’m seeing new things, challenging myself, and am generally having a blast. Travel prerequisites After having been on many trips … Read More … Read More

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