Blog

Blog

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

Why you don’t travel more

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  “I wish I could travel more.” Oh, if I had a frequent flyer mile for every time I’ve heard this lament. Travel appears to be the universal wish. Even the usual mileposts of marriage, kids, and house don’t seem … Read More … Read More

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What does this have to do with anything?

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  Recently, the Strong Towns blog linked to one of my posts about car dependency. This was awesome, as Strong Towns is one of those blogs high enough to be a member of my esteemed “check most frequently” list. I … Read More … Read More

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Fool yourself into savings

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  I’ve been preparing for my latest adventure recently. And while this involves things like digging out my passport, buying travel guides, and maybe booking some lodging (I always wait until the last minute on this), one of the more … Read More … Read More

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Three reasons to avoid bullet points

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  If you write for a living or even just as a hobby, and there’s any component of advice or help in your work, it’s important to be able to get your point across in as effective a manner as … Read More … Read More

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You are more than what you do

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  “I’m a musician.” I used to define myself that way. When people asked what I “did,” and if the context wasn’t obviously asking about my day job, that’s how I would respond. Music was such an integral part of … Read More … Read More

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Is there such a thing as good debt?

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  I said it for years: “…but it’s good debt.” More specifically: “I have [a stupid amount] in student loan debt, but it’s okay, because it’s good debt. I mean, at least it’s not credit card debt.” One day, though, … Read More … Read More

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How disruptive innovation enables effective protest

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  Last time, I talked about how protesting a single oil company wasn’t an effective way to effect change. Instead, I argued for reducing car-dependency through land use changes. This undermining of a business model is known as disruptive innovation, … Read More … Read More

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Greedy Lying Bastards, or how not to make a difference

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  I had the pleasure of seeing Greedy Lying Bastards recently, the new documentary from local filmmaker Craig Rosebraugh about the climate change denial industry. I knew with a name like “Greedy Lying Bastards” that it wasn’t likely to be … Read More … Read More

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How irony is the enemy of a risk-filled life

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  Much has been written about the hipster in popular culture. Most of it has been done to death, so I won’t go on about it much, but I’ve been inadvertently on the front lines of hipsterdom for many years … Read More … Read More

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Do you have any room to complain?

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  I once knew someone who was, by most standards, rather well-off. Maybe not wealthy in the traditional sense, but definitely doing okay for herself. And yet, there were areas of her life that she wanted to improve. She talked … Read More … Read More

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