Book Review: Your Money or Your Life by Vicki Robin
Imagine yourself walking into a dark alley, in the middle of some ghetto neighborhood, and halfway through, a masked thug suddenly appears, pulls out a sharp knife and exclaims, “Your Money or Your Life!” Unless your first name is Chuck and your last name is Norris, chances are, you would surrender …
Net Worth Update: Two Years Later
One reason why I share my net worth over Labor Day Weekend is that of something with symbolic importance. The holiday is meant to celebrate the achievements of American workers. To quote the U.S. Department of Labor, “a tribute to the contributions of workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being …
Stupid Money Mistakes my Smart Neighbors Make (Part II: Car Payments)
In Part I of this blog series, I talked about the expensive mistakes my neighbors are making by sending their children to private schools. At the risk of being forever castigated by my neighbors if they ever discover my posts, I’ll continue with Part II to talk about one of …
Stupid Money Mistakes my Smart Neighbors Make (Part I: Private Schools)
One of my goals in writing this blog is to help you become smarter with money. You’d think it’s just common sense. But as it turns out, common sense is not so common. Otherwise, people wouldn’t buy things they can’t afford. They wouldn’t smoke cigarettes or eat junk food either. …
Three Days, Five People in Quebec City on a Budget
What do you do when you’re dying to visit Europe, but don’t have a large budget to spend on five people? Would you take out your credit card and charge the expense? Or do you try and expand the budget? The answer is neither, you should think of a viable …
Why Would Successful People Commit Suicide?
You’ve seen it in the news, especially during an economic depression. A man loses his job, gets into a big pile of debt, runs out of options, and then kills himself. In more tragic cases, he takes his whole family with him. If you think having a job is stressful, …
What Frugal People Think About Organic Food
The labeling term “Organic” refers to accredited methods agricultural products are grown and processed. Regulations vary from country to country, but in general, organic crops must be grown without the use of synthetic pesticides, bioengineered genes (GMOs), petroleum-based fertilizers, or fertilizers from municipal sewage… Eew! Organic food is not defined …
Wealth by Virtue: a Book by Chad Gordon
Not long ago, I accepted an offer from a publisher to receive an advanced copy of Wealth by Virtue. Being a money nerd, I said yes, given that it came with a “no expectations and pester-free guarantee.” Even if the book turns out to be a dud, it could still …
Here are America’s Richest Immigrants in 2018
Forbes recently released its Richest People On The Planet list for 2018. I figured it would be interesting to determine who, among the 575 American billionaires, are immigrants like me. I’ve patiently and painstakingly gone through the list to figure out which ones emigrated from other countries based on the …
Vintage Computing: Turning Trash into Treasure
Ever since I was able to resell a “vintage” typewriter for a profit, my wife and I have been propelled to look for other potentially valuable items. We went as far as driving around garage sales of wealthy neighborhoods hoping to find a “hidden gem”: a 19th-century necklace, an oil …