Blog

Blog

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

How to spend money

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  You grab the items off the shelf and bring them to the counter. You hand them to the cashier, who scans it and then tells you how much it costs. The cashier then looks at you, expectantly. How do … Read More … Read More

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Do you need to be certified in order to do your work?

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  As a proponent of what I call “integrative financial coaching” I get to help people not only with improving their finances, but also help them heal their relationship to money, allowing them an easier path towards success in more … Read More … Read More

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Why would anyone buy loaded mutual funds?

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  One of my first rules of investing is: don’t invest in anything that you don’t understand. As we all need to be investing experts, this carries a certain weight with me. And while the answer to “what should I … Read More … Read More

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How to plan for award travel when you’re an infrequent flyer

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  While some folks who read this site are avid travelers, zooming around the globe as frequently as a satellite, others may fly infrequently and think that award travel is completely irrelevant to them. Nonsense. Award travel is open to … Read More … Read More

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When to let your points expire

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  I once wrote to not let your airline miles expire.  But there are always exceptions, and I am starting to think that there are reasons worth discussing. Sacrilege? No, just simplification and efficiency. … Read More

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Transit is not expensive

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  Common in any ongoing discussion of transit is the price. It seems like a fare hike has either just happened or is about to happen soon. This brings out the usual amount of griping, mostly about how expensive transit … Read More … Read More

The joys of not driving to work

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  At around 5PM each day, I look out the window of my office building. Across the street is a parking garage, one of those brutally functional structures whose slanted sides always brings to mind Donkey Kong. What I see … Read More … Read More

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Beware of induced spending (or the perils of credit card travel benefits)

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  I read lots of travel hacking blogs, as I’ve mentioned many times. And because sometimes travel hacking blogs seem more like credit card sales pages, I ingest many marketing messages on a regular basis. So when I was writing … Read More … Read More

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How to get Global Entry for 50% off (and zip through customs and security lines)

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  Going through customs can be a drag. You are accosted by a bored-yet-potentially-malevolent customs officer, who volleys questions at you. These questions seem innocuous, but are can be phrased so as to imply subtle accusation (“Why did you leave the … Read More … Read More

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Treat time like money

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  Any visitor to my home will notice a distinct lack of clocks. At some point during their visit (not a short time, because I assure you I am a deeply scintillating host), they will look around to see what … Read More … Read More

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