Profitable Ideas: Why a Concert Trumps a Couch, The Secret to Getting Promoted, and More
A weekly roundup of some of the more interesting and helpful personal finance articles I’ve read recently. Adaptation devaluation: Why a U2 concert is better than a new couch (Forbes). Well written article demonstrating that investing in memorable experiences usually pays more happiness dividends than spending on more stuff. How to teach your kids to […]
Wanted: Positive Financial Stories
Most people love a good story, especially a positive one. A story of overcoming, of living for something bigger than ourselves, of making a difference. Over the years, I’ve heard many people’s remarkable financial stories, which has been one of my favorite parts of writing about biblical money management for a living. Among my favorites… […]
Profitable Ideas: Picturing Our Fascination With Wealth, Better Ways to Measure Your Life, and More
A weekly roundup of some of the more interesting and helpful personal finance articles I’ve read recently. Getting to the bottom of Americans’ fascination with wealth (The Atlantic). Twenty-five years’ worth of photos tell quite a story. Science says this one thing in your LinkedIn profile will make or break your chances of getting hired […]
Learning How to Take Time Off
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 […]
Profitable Ideas: The Right Way to Ask For a Raise, Your Money Truths, and More
A weekly roundup of some of the more interesting and helpful personal finance articles I’ve read recently. How to ask for, and get, a raise (Chicago Tribune). Your boss probably doesn’t care that your cost of living has gone up, but he or she does care about the results you’re generating. 7 steps to get […]
Freeing Yourself From the Financial Ball & Chain
Many people imagine that using a budget would be like strapping a ball & chain to their leg, when it fact, it’s the opposite — a tool that leads to great financial freedom. But there is a financial ball & chain. It’s called debt. It’s actually far worse than a ball & chain. It’s a […]
Profitable Ideas: Happy Spending, Mending is Better Than Ending, and More
A weekly roundup of some of the more interesting and helpful personal finance articles I’ve read recently. The ultimate alternative investment: happiness (A Teachable Moment). Some uses of money pay much bigger happiness dividends than others. Your superpower – not sucking at money (White Coat Investor). While I’m not crazy about the language used in […]
How to Fight Fair About Money
Every healthy relationship involves conflict. In fact, psychologist John Gottman, who has spent more than 20 years studying what makes marriages last, believes that “fighting . . . can be one of the healthiest things a couple can do for their relationship.” In his book, Why Marriages Succeed or Fail, which I highly recommend, Gottman […]
Profitable Ideas: Online Shopping Costs More Than You Think, Looking for Travel Bargains in All the Wrong Places, and More
A weekly roundup of some of the more interesting and helpful personal finance articles I’ve read recently. How online shopping makes suckers of us all (The Atlantic). Online retailing is driven by very sophisticated science, and you are at the center of constant experiments. Cash is king no more (NY Times). Philosophical musings on our […]
Automating Financial Wisdom
I almost titled this post, “You Can’t Automate Financial Wisdom.” But then I realized, you can. A little background I have a love/hate relationship with financial automation. On the one hand, automation can be a wonderful help. In our household, we have some of our bills set up as auto-pay — those that cost the […]