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 More … Read More
Decisions
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 More … Read More
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 More … Read More
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 More … Read More
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 More … Read More
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 More … Read More
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 More … Read More
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 More … Read More
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 More … Read More
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 More … Read More