Upper management was feeling the heat. The boss’s boss’s boss needed to show the CIO that his division would not falter in a climate of adversity. To allay the perceived fears that the IT project would fail, the second highest executive on the totem pole made a decision. When that decision trickled down to my…
Later this month I turn the big 4-0. The day after, I’ll grab my messenger bag and commute back into the office. If things go according to my plan, the road to retirement will continue another 15 years. I will not retire at 40, though it’s a nice round number. It’s most notably “the hill”,…
Our family decided that cutting the cord on cable TV was right for us. After a full year, here’s how it’s going. Read my post about saying bye bye to cable TV by clicking here. Overall, we have no regrets about our decision. We miss a few things like the DVR, certain sporting events, and…
College graduation season will be here in no time. Graduates and their families will celebrate at an uplifting commencement ceremony, complete with speeches by inspirational alumni, business leaders and political figures, followed by a triumphant dinner at Applebees. Business Insider and other Twitter feeds will surely remind us that Steve Jobs gave a cool commencement…
Should I sell my rental property? It’s a question I ask myself every month. Maybe you do too. Update 12/05/2018: I still own the property and decided to rent it out again. I worked with a CPA to understand the exact tax consequences of selling and met with 3-4 agents to determine a value. It’s…
Reading this on your work computer? I suggest switching over to your smart phone. You may not want HR to know what you’re reading about here. There’s No Team In I If you’ve made it to this website, you’re probably devising a plan similar to mine. You work a full-time a job. You live below…
Ever wonder why so many young people are afraid to start investing? If you read the financial sites online, or watch the financial news networks, the answer becomes clear. There’s lots of so-called experts telling us what to do with our money. Some advice is over simplified and inadequate. Other advice is unnecessarily complex. For someone just…
The internet is full of debt pay-down stories and “How To” guides on getting out of debt. Debt is characterized as the enemy or a ball and chain, but it’s not so bad compared to some broader and more significant financial variables. When looking at the big picture of a personal financial situation, issues larger than…
Years ago I went to Ireland with a friend. We rented a car and drove from Galway to Kilkenny via the southwest peninsular route. Ireland is awash with beautiful landscapes and scenic drives lined with intricately built stone walls. The roads, however, can be narrow and tricky to navigate at times. One morning in a…
Two men from very different places in my life passed away in recent years. Both died almost instantaneously and without any forewarning. Both died in the presence of their peers. One died in retirement. The other died while still working. Loss of a Coworker One morning I learned that an hour before I arrived at…
When it comes to time, money and travel, people fall into one of four categories: Backpackers – Lots of time, but a finite amount of money Vacationers – Enough money, but not much time Broke People – No money for travel and very little time Financially Independent Travelers – All the time and money needed…
A while back I read a cool guest post by Money Graffiti on Budgets Are Sexy about the legality of writing on dollar bills. You can read it here. It reminded me of a story from my 14-month backpacking trip about a special and very ugly dollar bill. A consistent necessity throughout my trip was exchanging…
During a long drive over the Christmas holiday, my wife and I discussed ways to simplify our lives, become more productive and save more money. In my 2014 goals post, I mentioned ways we’d simplify our financial lives, but I left out this particular money and time saving action item. We really enjoy shows on…
Early on in college, I designated the summer of 1997 as the time to get an internship in finance. Other summers I spent working at the beach or goofing off in my home town. Headed into my senior year, it was time to get serious and start building my career. Merrill Lynch offered me an…