Blog

Blog

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

Why I pay tolls gladly

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  I’ll admit it, I used to avoid tolls. I remember on drives from Philadelphia to points south, there was a toll booth at the Delaware/Maryland border that could be avoided by getting off at the prior exit, paralleling the … Read More … Read More

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Is personal responsibility enough?

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  As should be pretty obvious by now if you’ve been reading for a while, you know that I’m a very big fan of taking responsibility for your own life, and specifically your finances. (And, if not, welcome!) I believe … Read More … Read More

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Why not to travel

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  As I’ve written about on many occasions, I feel like travel is a vitally important practice to add to your life. It can soothe the soul, clear the mind, open the heart (though if you’re not careful, it can … Read More … Read More

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Consider the opportunity cost

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  I’m sitting here waiting to pull the trigger on a short trip to the Caribbean. Just a few days, nothing too fancy. I have some free hotel night awards, one of which I need to use before the end … Read More … Read More

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Why it may be worth spending more for simplicity

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  (Meta-note: 100th post!) I was having dinner with a friend recently, and at one point we started reeling off the “obvious” pithy financial wisdom we knew. Things like “spend less than you make” “invest in index funds” “avoid fees,” … Read More … Read More

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You can determine how much things cost

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  If I told you that you could have something you really wanted for $600, but you could also have it for $19 a month for three years, which one would you choose? If you chose the latter, I invite … Read More … Read More

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Who is The Man?

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  Ever since I launched this site, it has contained the tagline “Practical strategies for sticking it to The Man.“ But who is The Man? It’s not who—or what—you might think. … Read More

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You must fight the Tired

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  Life is tiring. Anyone who brings up an argument like, “What? You only work eight hours a day, so you have sixteen hours left” is either myopic or trying to sell you something. If you’re single, then you need … Read More … Read More

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Why bother to keep your miles from expiring

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  Let’s say you have 3,000 miles with Delta, 5,735 miles with US Airways, and 1,326 miles with Virgin America. Redemptions of frequent flyer miles usually start at the 25,000 mark. At this rate, you’ll have enough for an award … Read More … Read More

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How to keep your miles from expiring without spending extra money

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  Far too many sites about travel hacking seem to talk endlessly about how to get zillions of frequent flyer miles by signing up for credit card bonuses (that require spending thousands of dollars in a certain period of time). … Read More … Read More

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