Blog

Blog

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

On losing a friend

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  I’ve talked before about being grateful: for your health, for your security/safety, for your freedom, but most of all for your friends and family. You may think that your most important work is your job, career, hobbies, or art, … Read More … Read More

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How much float do you need?

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  In my last post, I talked about the importance of having “float” in your checking account. Float is that extra cushion of money in your account that’s above and beyond the money that comes in from your income. The … Read More … Read More

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Why rail trails are great, sort of

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  The Springwater Corridor Trail is a rail trail in the Portland area. It starts out on the eastern waterfront, and follows the Willamette River south for about 4 miles before turning inland along Johnson Creek, through the towns of … Read More … Read More

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If you’re not doing it, stop

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  I like to think about ways to get myself people to accomplish things and not just say that I’m they are “going to, someday”. I’m fascinated by what it is inside ourselves that causes us to self-sabotage. (The book … Read More … Read More

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Is there ever a reason to buy a new car?

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  New cars are alluring. Who can deny that? The combination of something being all new, mixed with the sense of freedom (real or imagined) creates an intoxication that is hard to resist. Notice I said “intoxication.” Like lots of … Read More … Read More

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Ignore interest rates on debt

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  “This card has a 12% APR.” “My student loan is fixed at 5%.” “I can get a new car with a 0% interest loan.” Interest rates are talked about quite often when it comes to financial matters. Mostly, this … Read More … Read More

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Why cheap travel isn’t the best

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  I spent the night of my 23rd birthday on the floor of the Greyhound Terminal in San Francisco. … Read More

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Run the numbers after your trip

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  When I come back from a long trip, I tend to do three things: Sleep copiously (though not necessarily in the correct hours for my current time zone) Dump the contents of my bag either into the trash or … Read More … Read More

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Travel hacking to get free hotels

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  I stayed at the Holiday Inn in Gwangju, South Korea. The question that invariably popped up whenever I told anyone that I was staying in Gwangju (even Koreans all said this) was, “why!?” Yikes, do they know something I … Read More … Read More

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