Radical Finances

Why using sinking funds is a revolutionary act

  A sinking fund, as I talked about before, is a way of saving up for large expenses in advance. It’s a kind of a quaint, old-timey way of doing things, which might be why it appeals to me. A … Read More … Read More

Rise up with a sinking fund

  I found out that my car needed some work recently. My mechanic quoted me a figure that initially made me stagger a bit. I don’t know why I was surprised, as anything having to do with a car that’s … Read More … Read More

Why you must become an investing expert

  Talking about investing tends to bring out some strong feelings in people, often negative. “I hate it!” is a common refrain. “I don’t want to have to deal with it” is another. Now, I’m sympathetic, as all my life I’ve … Read More … Read More

Occam, your investing advisor

  I was talking with a friend who had recently decided to go back to school. One can’t discuss school for very long without the subject of loans coming up, and my friend indicated that he would indeed be taking … Read More … Read More

Why it may be worth spending more for simplicity

  (Meta-note: 100th post!) I was having dinner with a friend recently, and at one point we started reeling off the “obvious” pithy financial wisdom we knew. Things like “spend less than you make” “invest in index funds” “avoid fees,” … Read More … Read More

You can determine how much things cost

  If I told you that you could have something you really wanted for $600, but you could also have it for $19 a month for three years, which one would you choose? If you chose the latter, I invite … Read More … Read More

I don’t pay bills

  …and you shouldn’t either. Here’s why: … Read More

Please don’t play the lottery

  I was waiting for a bus a few days ago. I was the only one there, save for another guy, maybe 40’s or 50’s looking, a bit haggard, but dressed well. He was smoking and attacking a scratch card … Read More … Read More

Draw your money graph

  If you are like most people, you think visually. A table of values might be nice to look at, but it doesn’t have the same impact of those values plotted in a visual way. So it should surprise no … Read More … Read More

How would you handle a loss of income?

  The local free paper in town recently did a story on the local homeless population, interviewing a few of them and getting their own individual stories rather than treating them as one faceless mass. Today, I was reading the … Read More … Read More