Awareness

Mask ornament

Why it’s so hard to buy online and maintain any privacy

In a perfect world, no one would have any right to know what I buy, where I go, and what I do unless I gave them that access. This seems rather quaint now. Today, everything you do is scrutinized, advertised, … Read MoreRead More

Safe door

Can your money ever really be safe?

I feel like there are a lot more radio programs of a financial nature than there used to be. This might be a confirmation bias, in that I’m seeking these things out. I could just as easily say that I … Read MoreRead More

À la recherche du hard drives perdu: my data recovery experience

So as I reported earlier, a hard drive containing valuable personal files died on me recently. I thought I hadn’t backed up in a few months, which would have been hard enough, but it turns out that I hadn’t backed … Read MoreRead More

Why not debt consolidation?

Paying off debt is hard. Chances are that you have debts in a number of different places (car, student loan, credit card, and even perhaps medical or personal debts as well), all of which have different payment dates, rates, and … Read MoreRead More

U.S. Capitol

What’s wrong with an interest-free loan to the government?

Every year, amid the discussion of taxes and rebates and the like, there is usually a talking point that goes like this: “Getting a rebate of any amount is a bad idea, because all you’re doing is giving the government … Read MoreRead More

Cluttered desk

Is it possible to pay in advance exactly the amount of tax you owe?

Welcome back to tax season! It’s an interesting time that can seem extremely fraught to some, and a little exciting to others. For some: so much work to do. For others: big rebates! I’m fortunate to be young enough that … Read MoreRead More

Toll booths

Why everything is like a regressive tax

With all the talk on how to fund our government and the various projects we need to undertake, it’s made me think about that phrase “regressive tax”. As in, “there was no support for that initiative, because it was seen … Read MoreRead More

Roller coaster

That time I almost tried to time the market (but didn’t)

At the beginning of the year, the news reports started piling in: the stock markets were overvalued. P/E ratios were at highs not seen in years. Some people even used the curious phrase “melt-up” (which, correct me if I’m wrong, … Read MoreRead More

Anxiety

How having more money can make you anxious

People think that money can solve all of their problems. Yes, there’s the old saw about how “money can’t buy happiness”, but usually people see past that and think, “yeah, but it would certainly help“. And that’s true. When you’re … Read MoreRead More

Hard drive spindle

Failure to backup: Why I’m paying hundreds of dollars because I didn’t follow my own advice

I’m not always the best at taking my own advice. There are many examples on this site. Like the time I went $500 over budget. Or my foot-dragging on getting a will. “Be prepared” isn’t quite up there on the … Read MoreRead More