A Simple Step Toward a Solid Financial Future
An endless number of studies have documented people’s general lack of financial preparedness for their later years. As just one example, the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI) says that among workers age 55 and older, 44% have less than $250,000 saved for retirement (25% have less than $50,000). No amount of finger-wagging lectures seems to […]
Profitable Ideas: A Lifestyle of Generosity, The Math of Car Ownership, and More
Weekly list of curated personal finance articles from around the web. Raising generous kids through a lifestyle of generosity (National Christian Foundation). “We taught the whole give-some, save-some, spend-the-rest thing, but I think the more important lessons were in how we lived.” See also, The cheerful giver (The Good Sense Movement). 5 things my parents […]
The Greatest Return on Investment
My wife, Jude, made a comment in our small group recently that got me thinking about generosity in a new way. She referred to a household’s giving as a portfolio of Kingdom investments. I like that a lot and can see how thinking of generosity that way could be very encouraging and helpful. Investments, indeed […]
Profitable Ideas: Keeping the Last Time in Mind, A Close Encounter With Retirement, and More
Weekly list of curated personal finance articles from around the web. The last time always happens now (Raptitude). A wonderful piece with helpful, challenging implications for using money well. Taking back control over technology (Thinq). I’m not sure we need to purchase this entrepreneur’s solution, but the conversation is worth listening to and acting on. […]
Unpleasant But Necessary Documents for Your Older Teen
Having our oldest home this summer has been such a joy. He had a great freshman year at college, but it’s been an adjustment—for him, and for us! Even though he worked full-time over the summer, we made sure to squeeze in lots of family time. And we took care of one unpleasant but very […]
Profitable Ideas: Taking a Page From the Corporate Playbook, Don’t Waste Your Life, and More
Weekly list of curated personal finance articles from around the web. Your marriage needs a CFO and a COO (Wall Street Journal). Interesting idea, but when it comes to household finances, while one might take the lead in doing the work, both should be involved in the decisions — from how much to save to […]
To Teach Your Kids Diligence, Watch Your Style
If you’re a parent, have you ever thought about your parenting “style”? I’m not talking about fashion here. I’m talking about the approach you take in raising your kids. More specifically, I’m talking about the expectations you set and how you go about enforcing those expectations. This applies to everything from the behaviors we try […]
Profitable Ideas: A Good Money Mindset for Kids, What Documents to Keep Where, and More
Weekly list of curated personal finance articles from around the web. Ownership 101 — a wealth-building guide for young people (A Teachable Moment). This is a great mindset to cultivate in our kids. As I like to ask, “Why just buy what all the other kids buy when you could buy the companies that make […]
The Lowly Budget Takes One On The Chin—Again
Every now and then, I come across an article in the mainstream personal finance press that’s so wrong, so misguided, that I just can’t keep silent. So it was with a piece published earlier this year by Kiplinger, an organization I generally respect, enjoy, and learn from. The headline read, “Budgeting Doesn’t Work: A Fatal […]
Profitable Ideas: Stop Before You Shop Again, Streamers Beware, and More
Weekly list of curated personal finance articles from around the web. 7 tips to save when you feel like shopping (No Sidebar). Great alternatives for those times when you feel the urge to shop just to shop. The new world of tipping (Axis). When requests for a tip seemingly everywhere these days, it’s important to […]