Clichés are expressions that become so overused that they lose their original meaning so much so that they can become a mockery of the original, meaningful idea. However, these clichés often carry truth to them, but we ignore that truth because of how many times you hear it. I felt like this about “believe and you can achieve,” until I Read Napoleon Hill’s “Think and … Continue reading The cliché of ‘Believe and you can achieve’
How to make your dividends automatically work for you with DRIP investing. Continue reading DRIP Dividend investing: When life gives you lemons, grow a lemon tree
Most budgeting systems are time consuming and complex. The beauty of the rule-of-thumb budget is the speed and simplicity of it. All you need to know is your after-tax income. Once you have determined your after-tax income, you simply allocate it as follows: 50% towards your necessities 30% towards your wants 20% towards your financial goals Next is to define the categories: Necessities, Wants, and … Continue reading Simple Budgeting: The 50/30/20 rule-of-thumb budget
As we get ever closer to the guillotine of 30 hanging over our youth ready to drop and condemn us entirely to adulthood and “maturity,” the question arose – where do our birthday celebrations come from? Like many of our celebrations, birthdays originated from pagan roots. Early Christians did not celebrate birthdays and Jewish tradition measured birthdays for milestones, but did not celebrate birthdays themselves … Continue reading Congratulations on another successful trip around the sun: Why do we celebrate birthdays?
So called financial gurus tell you that if you want to be rich, quit eating avocado toast and drinking Starbucks. Admittedly, this does remove expenses that may add up over time. However, that frugality alone won’t make you “rich.” Rather, understanding the ideas behind the “avoid paying $10 for avocado toast and $5 for coffee” is what will make you handle your money better and … Continue reading Understanding opportunity cost: How much does that avocado toast and Starbucks actually cost me?
I struggle to buy planners. Every time I find the “perfect system” I want something different a short time later. Then, I stumbled upon the Bullet Journal. The Origin? In the 1990s, Ryder Carroll was a college student studying design. He struggled with attention deficit disorder, so he started working on a system to help him overcome his “learning disabilities.” This system became the Bullet … Continue reading The Bullet Journal Method: The ultimate planner, to-do list, and everything else system
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, suspended principal and interest payments on federally-held student loans from March 13 through September 30. Right now, your interest and payments are suspended automatically. However, this only applies to federal loans, not private student loans. Other loans, such as those Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) program are owned by private companies; however, those companies may choose … Continue reading No student loan interest: Take advantage of this opportunity!
Pas-sive – not reacting visibly to something that might be expected to produce manifestations of an emotion or feeling. Dictionary.com In most areas of life, being active is seen as the optimal choice. “Pursue your dreams.” “Take life by the horns.” “Don’t sit back and wait for life to happen to you.” However, when investing, being active can be a costly choice. Common Misconceptions: Often, … Continue reading Passive investing 102: What is passive investing?
Seemingly out of nowhere the people are going bananas over “monkey slavery.” From the usual suspects, like PETA, to more unexpected individuals, like Boris Johnson’s fiancee Carrie Symonds, people are up in arms over this purported exploitation of a wild animal. Since biblical times, animals have been working alongside people – oxen pulling plows and wagons, dogs herding cattle and sheep, and other dogs used … Continue reading The monkey business of picking coconuts: The modern ethical issue of ‘monkey slavery’
According to Ron Swanson, “history began on July 4, 1776” when a small colony declared its independence from its motherland – one of the most powerful countries in the world, at the time. Now the United States celebrates its independence every 4th of July with fireworks, barbecues, and parties. However, when did we start using fireworks to celebrate our independence? Around 200 B.C. fireworks were … Continue reading Independence Day: The origin of fireworks and the 4th of July
Pulp Sage 