What are Stocks? Bonds? Mutual Funds? Index Funds?
In an earlier post, I wrote about index funds and why most of my retirement savings are invested in index funds. Here I want to […]
Doug's Methods of Saving Money
“Saving” in the sense of putting money aside for your old age and investing that money to make it grow.
In an earlier post, I wrote about index funds and why most of my retirement savings are invested in index funds. Here I want to […]
As I write this, the average price of a pack of cigarettes in the United States is over $5. The price varies from one place […]
One thing — the essential thing — that (some) children* don’t understand is the way that savings grow over time. The only sure way to […]
The value of everything you buy is either certain to decrease … or … there is a chance, in some cases a very good chance, […]
There are (at least) 3 different kinds of savings accounts at credit unions and banks. Regular or Basic Savings. Used to be called “passbook” savings […]
Oftentimes, when it seems easier to do the wrong thing (like, it’s easier to spend some money now to get some immediate gratification) instead of […]
I don’t mean to imply that Dave Ramsey is wrong about a lot things. Generally, his advice is very good, and I like listening to […]
If you read personal finance magazines, books, and websites (especially topics like financial independence and retiring early (sometimes called “FIRE”), etc.), you have probably seen […]
A few years ago, I saw “The Grasshopper and the Ants” (Disney’s short film of 1934 based on Aesop’s fable, “The Ant and the Grasshopper”, […]
Different kinds of accounts where you can keep your money … and how to use them. This is the way I do it. Checking account […]
Repeatedly I see the term “compound interest” used to describe the growth of stock market investments. I think this is incorrect. Strictly speaking, you only […]
People use the term “nest egg” to refer to their life savings, their retirement savings, what they will live on after they stop working. “Nest […]
Here’s inspiration from a century ago from The Baltimore and Ohio Employees Magazine (February 1916): The Saving Road to Independence For Men and Women of Limited […]
A year ago I wrote a post about my net worth and the convenience of having it automatically calculated in an online financial tracker. Reminder: […]
Some months ago, the driver’s side window of our minivan stopped working and wouldn’t go down. Next, as it got warmer, we noticed that the […]
My thoughts on investing in mutual funds. Part I I just finished reading a lengthy newspaper article about a certain money manager, a fellow who […]
Browsing through an old issue of The Sabbath Recorder (A Seventh Day Baptist Weekly, published by The American Sabbath Tract Society, Plainfield, N.J., vol. 76, No. […]
Changing the way you think about money can help you change your spending and saving habits. You probably have a good idea of how much […]
At one time or another most children will say, “I want to be rich” or something similar. When you hear children say that, you can […]
A couple years ago the U.S. Treasury Department started a program called MyRA (My RA, sounds like “IRA”). It’s a savings account that allows anyone […]
The first post in my blog is about THE personal finance book that I would recommend to everyone. The basic lesson of that book is: Pay […]
Because you don’t have enough money — that’s why! Okay, maybe that statement doesn’t apply to 100% of the people who might read this. But […]
“Pay yourself first.“ Have you ever heard this old — but good — advice? As far as I know, it was popularized by George Samuel Clason […]