Radical Finances

How to haggle successfully

  I’ve already told you how to haggle unsuccessfully. In short: Covet something unique Want it more than the salesperson Not be able to walk away Have nothing with which to bargain Having learned from my mistakes though, I was … Read More … Read More

How to haggle unsuccessfully

  I hate haggling. It’s way too stressful. I hate having to disappoint people, and I worry about insulting them. Also, I always wonder if I’m getting ripped off. To be honest, I have no idea how much things really … Read More … Read More

Financial cage match: Paying off student loans versus investing for retirement

  Recently, I made the bold claim that those who have debt aren’t ready to start saving for retirement. I added some relaxing caveats, but I really wanted to put them in an order. Debt first, investing later. I don’t … Read More … Read More

This is how much you need for your emergency fund

  An emergency fund, as I’ve talked about before, is a fundamental part of any sound financial life. You want to get to the point where you could live for six months on what you have socked away. (Retirement accounts … Read More … Read More

Join the Portland Integrative Finance Community!

  I’ve created a Meetup group! Called Portland Integrative Finance Community, it is a group where we can come together to share our experiences around two central questions: How can we use money to help us achieve our goals? How … Read More … Read More

Why the home mortgage interest deduction is a disappointment

UPDATE: I originally made a math error below, and have corrected it. Apologies. UPDATE #2: I have another take on this. “Oh you’ve got a mortgage now!” goes Conventional Wisdom. “Now your taxes will be lower because you’ll be able to … Read More … Read More

Which is better, a tax credit or a tax deduction?

  WARNING: This post contains math. This is one of those posts that is a challenge to write. Since everyone is in different places and with different levels of financial literacy, I can’t expect everyone to have the same level … Read More … Read More

What is the minimum needed to start investing for retirement?

  Okay, so say you’re ready to invest. You’ve either paid off all your debts, or you’re not going to listen to me and want to get started now, regardless. Either way, I’ve got your back. Let’s also say that … Read More … Read More

How to know if you’re financially ready to start investing

  I’ve talked a lot about investing on this site. This is both because this is where a lot of my focus is in my own life (that and my final boss character), but also because it’s where I think … Read More … Read More

How to pay for a deductible

  I wrote about how to choose a deductible. Here is the equation we came up with. Choose a higher deductible over a lower one when: In general, I recommend higher deductibles over lower ones. A $1,000 deductible might seem … Read More … Read More