math

How to choose a deductible

  WARNING: This post contains math. My car was hit the other day. We got a freak snow storm here in normally-rainy Portland, and people do not know how to handle driving in this weather. (To be fair, Oregon doesn’t salt … Read MoreRead More

Don’t plan for a 12% return (but earn it anyway)

  WARNING: This post contains math. How much return do you expect to make on your stock market investments? (Don’t say zero.) There are those who will say that you can expect to earn a 12% return on your investments … Read MoreRead More

An introduction to negative money

  WARNING: This post contains a discussion of math. In these enlightened times, negative numbers aren’t a big deal. Whether it’s your favorite golfer winning the tournament with a score of -12, or even the solution to “x = 3 … Read MoreRead More

Ignore interest rates on debt

  “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 MoreRead More

How to determine how much money you need to travel

  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 MoreRead More

Why reaching your goal isn’t the goal

  Hopefully by now, the new year has gotten off to a good start.  If you’re in school you’re either back at your desk or are soon to be there.  If you’re at a standard job, you’re back at it, … Read MoreRead More