Decisions

Explosion

The debt blunderbuss, or can you have an emergency fund and still pay off debt?

There is a financial cage match article that I can’t write: debt vs. the emergency fund. It’s not hard to see why there isn’t a one-size-fits-all answer to question of what comes first before the other. How much debt you … Read MoreRead More

Homemade Enigma machine

Financial cage match: ETFs versus mutual funds

I want everyone to be an investing expert. Thankfully, I also believe that simplicity in investing is best. Create a Roth IRA, put money into low-cost index funds, and repeat this every month. When I say “low-cost index funds”, I’m … Read MoreRead More

Lightning in the desert

Would I have done college differently if I had wanted to avoid debt?

I’m annoyed when I think about debt. It’s a thing that I want to get away from, like a snoring person in the room, or a screaming baby on the plane. I want it gone. When I was in high school, … Read MoreRead More

Spiral windows

Is it a good idea to get your student loans forgiven?

Like approximately everyone, I graduated college with student loans. If there was a way to get my loans “forgiven”, no one told me. At the time, all I knew was that I had to either pay what I owed, pay interest … Read MoreRead More

Man on bike

How to know if it’s time to move away

On a recent flight home, I fell into conversation with a friendly woman from my birth city of Philadelphia. She was on her way to a small town in the Pacific Northwest for a job interview and was as excited … Read MoreRead More

Atlas statue

How to plan a trip to anywhere via travel hacking

I was at a party recently where the conversation turned to travel. One person in particular was trying to get to a destination (somewhere in South America, I forget the specific city) the following month, and wanted to know how they … Read MoreRead More

Rusted Car

This might be why you don’t believe you’ll be financially successful

It’s not hard to find bad economic news that applies to you. If you’re a millennial, chances are the job market is terrible for you. If you’re a baby boomer, chances are that you’re either underwater in your house or … Read MoreRead More

Luggage cart

How to handle when your luggage doesn’t show up

Alaska Airlines has been pretty good to me. While their product isn’t anything extravagant, it’s certainly enjoyable enough, and I pretty much never have to deal with agents who totally hate their life (which was something I encountered with regularity … Read MoreRead More

Computer chips

Confessions of a nerdy kid, or the pleasures of saving up for things

I was a super nerdy kid. If you doubt this, this story will confirm it. When I was in middle school, I became very interested in Bulletin Board Systems (or BBSs). These were computer networks that allowed you to communicate … Read MoreRead More

Lounge lights

How to decide whether to keep a credit card with an annual fee

I mentioned that there is only one reason to keep a credit card that carries an annual fee: The benefits you get from holding the card that you would have paid for anyway must be greater than the annual fee. … Read MoreRead More