Radical Finances

Separate your savings

  I once went to an ATM in a tourist area (Pearl Harbor to be specific). Finding an old receipt in the receipt slot, I removed it, buy being the nosy person that I am, I looked at it before … Read MoreRead More

Adventures in accessing credit reports

  I recently decided to find out what was on my credit report. I figure, if my permanent record is going to follow me around, I might as well know what it says about me. And perhaps a nefarious Mike with a … Read MoreRead More

Get your credit report

  Remember when we were in school and our teachers told us that if we misbehaved it would go on our “permanent record?” Remember how relieved we were when we learned that there was no such thing? That was a … Read MoreRead More

Is it possible to be an ethical investor?

  “Vote with your wallet.” “Put your money where your mouth is.” Where we spend our money matters. I’m assuming that there are certain companies that do not align with your personal ethical code, so you would not want to … Read MoreRead More

The best stock tip you’ll ever receive

  I’m not usually in the business of talking about stock advice, but every once in a while, I make an exception. Many people charge hundreds, even thousands, of dollars to get access to certain people’s stock tips, but I’m … Read MoreRead More

How to plan for Social Security

  Here in the US, we actually do have a small safety net for the elderly and disabled. It’s called Social Security (technically called “Old-age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance” or OASDI) The idea is that when you reach a certain … Read MoreRead More

Why I like the Roth IRA (though it’s not why people think)

  So I hope you’ve done your taxes for the year. I used a certain online program to do my taxes, and one of the questions asked was “Did you contribute to an IRA [Individual Retirement Arrangement] this year?” If … Read MoreRead More

Taxes, or the opposite of simplicity

  Each year for me, tax season goes pretty much the same way: I fire up one of the big online hosted tax programs, enter in my info, take the Standard Deduction, get something approximating zero dollars back (I try … Read MoreRead More

How to plan when you fear the worst

  I think investing is fun. I mean, you put some money aside, sit on it, and then after a while, you get more of it. Couldn’t be easier, right? All you need to do is spend some time setting … Read MoreRead More

The one category in your budget that you don’t want to forget

  One of the tasks you do when starting out budgeting for the first time is to come up with spending categories for your expenses. These are things like transportation, groceries, clothing, things that you spend money on throughout the … Read MoreRead More