Thoughts

When making financial decisions you probably weigh the impact to your wallet, but do you ever question the impact on your emotional wellbeing? My house was built in 1950. The bones of the house are solid, but from the moment we moved in there was a lot of ground in dirt that could not be … Read more

I bought my first house at age twenty-two. When I bought my second house at the ripe old age of twenty-seven I didn’t tell a soul other than my parents and my in-laws. I didn’t tell my brother, my friends or my co-workers. I didn’t want to sound like I was bragging and most importantly … Read more

When you earn a lot of money you can save a lot of money. No one is going to argue with that fact outright, but I think that a high income can force you into more spending traps than you might have expected. To be clear I am not talking about people who are trying … Read more

In my youth I never considered super early retirement. My dad retired in his early fifties and as a twenty-two year old joining the workforce that seemed young enough to me. I would put a solid twenty-five to thirty years into my career and then I’d quit just like he did. I started my career … Read more

I walked up to the register and stood behind the man buying orange soda. That was it. One two-liter bottle of store brand orange soda and nothing more. I go to the grocery store near my home and the lines in the self-checkout line are always at least two or three people long. A couple … Read more

I cannot get this quote out of my head… From the Mortified Podcast – “The question was once posed to me how I would wish to be remembered… Recently I discovered what it is I truly wanted. I just want to be missed. The how or why of it wouldn’t really matter as long as … Read more

One of my most vivid memories of money came at the age of 11. I became friends with the new girl at school. The new girl and her family moved into a brand new neighborhood that had popped up about a mile from my home. I visited her one Saturday afternoon and was amazed at … Read more

There is no better way to tell a tale than to start at the beginning, and so to comprehend my current finances you must first understand my relationship with money. When I think back on my life, even back to the earliest years of childhood, I have very specific memories of money. Despite the fact … Read more

My son snowboarded out west for the first time this year. The price tag for two days worth of lessons was just under $500. Surprisingly, I did not bat an eye. No. I happily pulled out my wallet and wholeheartedly believe that money was well spent.  By the second day he was riding the chair … Read more

A few thoughts/questions about travel on this snowing evening: We plan to fly out west next month and I am unbelievably concerned about a four hour flight with an eleven month old. We opted NOT to buy a seat for the little guy and I am a bit terrified that he’ll fuss the entire time … Read more