Radical Finances

Why Charles Dickens’ Micawber was only half right

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  I will rarely quote Charles Dickens, but here’s a great quote from David Copperfield by the character Wilkins Micawber: “Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure nineteen pounds nineteen and six, result happiness. Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure twenty … Read More … Read More

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What do you value?

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  Joe Biden, the current US Vice President as of the time of writing (and possibly the most famous person from Delaware), is on record with a great quote: “Don’t tell me what you value. Show me your budget, and … Read More … Read More

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How much float do you need?

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  In my last post, I talked about the importance of having “float” in your checking account. Float is that extra cushion of money in your account that’s above and beyond the money that comes in from your income. The … Read More … Read More

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Is there ever a reason to buy a new car?

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  New cars are alluring. Who can deny that? The combination of something being all new, mixed with the sense of freedom (real or imagined) creates an intoxication that is hard to resist. Notice I said “intoxication.” Like lots of … Read More … Read More

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Ignore interest rates on debt

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  “This card has a 12% APR.” “My student loan is fixed at 5%.” “I can get a new car with a 0% interest loan.” Interest rates are talked about quite often when it comes to financial matters. Mostly, this … Read More … Read More

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Run the numbers after your trip

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  When I come back from a long trip, I tend to do three things: Sleep copiously (though not necessarily in the correct hours for my current time zone) Dump the contents of my bag either into the trash or … Read More … Read More

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How to determine how much money you need to travel

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  Warning: this post contains math. I want to expand on a point I made last time about reasons people don’t travel: namely not having enough money. I’ve been having an ongoing conversation where I’m trying to convince someone to … Read More … Read More

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Fool yourself into savings

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  I’ve been preparing for my latest adventure recently. And while this involves things like digging out my passport, buying travel guides, and maybe booking some lodging (I always wait until the last minute on this), one of the more … Read More … Read More

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Is there such a thing as good debt?

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  I said it for years: “…but it’s good debt.” More specifically: “I have [a stupid amount] in student loan debt, but it’s okay, because it’s good debt. I mean, at least it’s not credit card debt.” One day, though, … Read More … Read More

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