Profitable Ideas: Buying Happiness, A Simple Career-Building Secret Weapon, and More
How to buy happiness (Laura Vanderkam). By now you probably know that experiences tend to create more happiness than things, but using money to free up time is also important. Building financial momentum when you’re struggling to make ends meet (The Simple Dollar). The importance of taking even little steps in the right direction. A […]
Breaking the Cycle of Financing Vehicles
Our home may be our castle, but for many people, their car is an extension of themselves. According to a study cited by Juliet Schor in her book, The Overspent American, nearly half of all car owners see their car as a reflection of who they are. The belief that we are what we drive, […]
Profitable Ideas: Retailer Pricing Tricks, Aligning Your Use of Money With What Matters Most, and More
The Target app price switch: What you need to know (9News.com). With Target’s app, prices go up when you enter the store. Since that story broke, the retailer apparently has updated its app, but as always, buyer beware. Parents: Stop worrying about saving enough for college (Forbes). Where college funding should fall on a parent’s […]
Everybody Has a Story
During what would turn out to be my father’s final year of life, he had several caregivers in and out of his house. Since I worked within about a 45 minute drive of where he lived, one day I decided to take a long lunch and pay a surprise visit to check up on the […]
Profitable Ideas: The Fifth-Grade Philanthropist, Closing the Bank of Mom and Dad, and More
A weekly roundup of some of the best personal finance articles from around the web. A 5th grader’s boredom while visiting her mom’s job led to $70,000 for the elderly in need (CNN). Inspiring story about the good that a young child can do. Discipline equals freedom: The difference between deprivation and depriving yourself (Get […]
Doing the Work
One of our sons recently told me about some things that have been bothering him. He’s making good decisions, building good habits, and getting good grades. But he can’t quite see the point in some of the things he’s studying. And all the homework sometimes makes life feel like a grind. I did my best […]
Profitable Ideas: New Insights Into the Money/Happiness Connection, Finding Financial Margin, and More
A weekly roundup of some of the best personal finance articles from around the web. Time for happiness (Harvard Business Review). Why using money to free up time can boost happiness, and why so few of us use money that way. Spending happily (Humble Dollar). More on the money/happiness equation. 7 ways to use emotional […]
One Simple Question for Cultivating a Heart of Gratitude and Service
Last December, I skimmed quite a few year-end personal finance articles that contained questions designed to help readers take stock of the year. For the most part, they seemed pretty typical. How did your financial situation change over the past 12 months? Did you achieve the goals you set for yourself at the start of […]
Profitable Ideas: Buy Low AND High, The Biggest Returns, and More
A weekly roundup of some of the best personal finance articles from around the web. Buy low, buy high (The Irrelevant Investor). The surprising, powerful benefits of dollar-cost averaging. Repeat for emphasis (Humble Dollar). You can’t be reminded often enough about the awesome power of compounding returns. Why everyone else seems to have more money […]
‘I Play Like It’s The Last Day of My Life’
As much as I love the game of golf, I can honestly say that I’ve never read a golf-related article that brought tears to my eyes. Until last week. That’s when I came across the incredible story of 37-year-old PGA tour rookie, Jose de Jesus Rodriguez (even if you’re not a golfer, I think you’ll […]