Blog

Blog

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

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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This is why you feel like you don’t have enough time

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  I once read a book in which the author opined how a person should be willing to work double time, or on the weekends. The idea was that if one worked weekends, it will be all overtime, and thus … Read More … Read More

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You are more than lucky

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  “You’re really lucky.” I hear people say this a lot. And not just when they’re talking to me, of course! I just thought that was easier to type than the phrase “he/she/they/you is/are really lucky.” This phrase is usually … Read More … Read More

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Who is responsible when a pedestrian is killed?

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  My neighbor in New York City was killed a few years ago. She was riding home on her bicycle, and was hit by someone driving an SUV. Criminal charges were never filed against the driver, though he was sued … Read More … Read More

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Your new holiday calendar

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  As I’ve said before, you don’t need to celebrate holidays if you don’t want. More importantly, you don’t need to celebrate holidays in the way that they were intended. But what to do instead? I decided to come up … Read More … Read More

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Repurpose your holidays

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  I woke up on Christmas morning, excited. The streets were empty, everyone ensconced in their houses or apartments. I took off out of the city, way into the suburbs, where I had a hotel room waiting for me. Was … Read More … Read More

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Year in review 2013: Your top 10 favorite posts

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  This site is as much about you as it is about me, so coming off the heels of my top 10 favorite posts for the year, I thought I would also highlight your top 10 favorite posts. As I … Read More … Read More

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