investing

Is retirement possible?

Retirement is a scary thing to think about. Many people think that they’ll never be able to retire, that they will be forced to work until they die. But it’s worth taking a look at what retirement is and whether … Read MoreRead More

Homemade Enigma machine

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 MoreRead More

Stock price on computer

Day trading, or forgetting what money is really for

I was in college during the “dot-com” boom. My lab partner, a cocky dude to be sure, said he spent a lot of his days day trading. And he seemed to be doing well enough, though he never elaborated. While … Read MoreRead More

Ceiling Circles

Financial Cage Match: Paying down a mortgage versus investing

This is another entry in the Financial Cage Match series, where I look at two competing financial priorities and see which one comes out on top. Here’s another entry: Paying off student loans versus investing for retirement. WARNING: This post … Read MoreRead More

When to max out your Roth IRA contributions

  My intuition isn’t always correct, and I enjoy being confronted with facts that don’t back up my assertions. And this post is one of those situations. Sort of. So let’s talk about funding your Roth IRA, and assume you … Read MoreRead More

Can you use your retirement account as your emergency fund?

  My high school algebra teacher always had some sagacious advice for our class. “Open the door before you walk through it.” That sort of thing. This always elicited a laugh from us, which I suppose was the point. Though … Read MoreRead 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 MoreRead 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 MoreRead 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 MoreRead More

Why I love it when markets tank

Dollar cost averaging (DCA) can help you weather a bear market and make money in the long run no matter how the market performs. I just fired up the local news website and saw that the Dow, that oddly insufficient … Read MoreRead More