When I woke up to the reality of having $20,000 of credit card debt, I had to face this hard truth: I didn’t get into debt overnight, so I’m probably not going to get out of debt overnight. In fact, it took me four and a half years to pay off my debt. There were […]
A weekly roundup of some of the best personal finance articles from around the web. Seven ideas (Humble Dollar). Personal finance knowledge everyone should have. Dismantling my dreams, one brick at a time (Slate). All those home renovation shows make it look so easy. But one couple found out it’s much tougher than it looks […]
If you have money in the stock market, you’ve probably noticed things have gotten a little bumpy. Here are some suggestions for handling the rough ride. 1. Take a deep breath When it comes to money — and plenty of other things — the emotional extremes of fear and greed can get the best of […]
On October 2nd, I went public with my goal to run a five-mile “turkey trot” in mid November. At the time, I said I really didn’t want to do it. While I had been running regularly, I wasn’t running five miles and that distance felt like a stretch. In fact, in the week leading up to […]
Like many of you, I was shocked by the recent suicides of fashion designer Kate Spade and TV personality Anthony Bourdain. On one level, their deaths showed what a fallacy it is that fame and fortune assure happiness. I couldn’t help but recall this quote from actor Jim Carrey: I think everybody should get rich […]
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters. – Colossians 3:23 With Labor Day coming up, it’s an appropriate time to assess the state of your career. How are you feeling about your work? Does it give you an opportunity to put your skills […]
With Memorial Day coming up, I hope you — and I — will dedicate some time over the weekend to reflect on and give thanks for those who gave their lives for the freedoms we enjoy. And if your employer gives you a day off, I hope you take it. We Americans are good at […]
In the opening scene from the movie About Schmidt, Warren Schmidt, played by Jack Nicholson, is staring at a clock on the wall of his office, counting down the minutes until his final day at work will be over and his retirement will begin. He has spent his career working as an actuary for an […]
How would you answer the following questions? What could you be the best in the world at? What are you deeply passionate about? What drives your economic engine? What single denominator has the greatest impact on your finances? At the intersection of your answers is your “hedgehog concept,” which is one of the key ideas […]
A weekly roundup of some of the more interesting and helpful personal finance articles I’ve read recently. What if you were the world’s best market timer? (The Irrelevant Investor). Fortunately, you don’t have to achieve the impossible. Why we can’t stop torturing ourselves with 401(k) wreckage (Bloomberg). With this type of wreck, it’s okay to […]
