Awareness

The ritual of the end-of-the-month budget freeze

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When your budget has you run low on money at the end of the month, the upside is that it feels all the better when the new month begins. Wow, this last month was tight. I pretty much spent all … Read More … Read More

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Is financial coaching the same in different countries?

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Our financial products may be different, but that’s not what’s important. Most of my readers are from the U.S. That’s not surprising. I’m from the U.S., and I talk about U.S. specific issues, from current events such as the 2016 … Read More … Read More

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How to break the belief that it’s only okay to spend on your needs

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You have much more control over what you define as wants and needs than you think. Some people have a lot of trouble spending money. I’m talking about the people who see spending as a “bad thing”, who feel shame … Read More … Read More

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Remember: income and wealth aren’t the same thing

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Managing your money effectively matters so much more than your income. Which is better to have, high wealth or a high income? The question isn’t a good one, and lacks nuance, but it’s a good test, in case you think … Read More … Read More

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Why your goal is to not care about credit cards (if you even care today)

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As you build wealth, the reasons to use credit cards fall away even more. Recently I wrote about my own revelation that, while I love collecting (and using!) frequent flyer miles, eventually, with my own financial goals in place, I … Read More … Read More

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Why you need to work with a digital fiduciary

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It’s not just your financial advisors who need to be fiduciaries too. We need to be able to trust people’s online words and suggestions as well. Trust is hard. How do you know who has your best interests in mind? … Read More … Read More

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How could you make $100,000?

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I’m challenging you to think big about your income, so big that it’s beyond what you might ordinarily think is possible. … Read More

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Do you really want to know what other people do with their money?

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In my last job, there was a grassroots push to publish everyone’s salaries. A document was circulated in a clandestine fashion, and everyone was encouraged to enter their own salary details. This went around for a little while before it … Read More … Read More

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Learning about my Social Security with “my Social Security”

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When I was first starting out in the workforce, once a year I would get these forms from the Social Security Administration (SSA). It talked about stuff that felt largely irrelevant to me, but it did include a listing of … Read More … Read More

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Is the 15% rule for investing before tax or after tax?

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Once you’re out of debt, you’re ready to start saving for retirement. (Before you’re out of debt, you’re probably better off just focusing on that, though I think an exception is fair for extremely large debts like mortgages). A good … Read More … Read More

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