Blog

Blog

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

Taxes, or the opposite of simplicity

Posted by on | Featured

  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

Tags: , ,

How badly do you want it?

Posted by on | Featured

  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

Tags: , , , ,

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

Posted by on | Featured

  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

Tags: , , ,

What’s wrong with the American vacation?

Posted by on | Featured

  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

Tags: , , , , , ,

Is it better to travel alone or with others?

Posted by on | Featured

  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

Tags: , , , ,

The mindset you need for traveling

Posted by on | Featured

  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

Tags: ,

What you never hear about traveling

Posted by on | Featured

  The hostel room was approximately seven feet wide by twelve feet long. Somehow, they had managed to wedge three beds in there. Even with two of the three of us being a couple, this was going to be tight. … Read More … Read More

Tags: , ,

Why I still opt-out at airports

Posted by on | Featured

  (Update: I don’t need to opt-out anymore because I have NEXUS.) In response to the terror attacks of 2001, airport security came under intense scrutiny. In the US, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) was formed, which was mandated to … Read More … Read More

Tags: , ,

Go, if you can, because you can

Posted by on | Featured

  I’m writing this on a plane bound for Europe. I used miles to pay for this flight, so it cost me only around $100 in fees. I’m flying Coach (though I’ll be testing my own advice when I fly Business … Read More … Read More

Tags: ,

How not to be seen (when online)

Posted by on | Featured

  There’s been a lot of talk about spying recently in the news. These accusations (most of which, as far as I can tell, are not unfounded) bring a related reminder that what we do online is all-too-easily able to … Read More … Read More

Tags: , , ,