A month or so ago our lives were coasting on autopilot. We completed our daily checklists and routines without a second thought and moved through the motions of life seamlessly. Then came the outbreak of COVID-19. Over the course of the last few weeks our lives have been radically altered. We can no longer shop, visit […]
How to Prepare for a Recession: Steps to Take Now
I’ve never lived through a pandemic before, but I have lived through a recession. In 2008 I watched the value of my home and investments drop like a rock. A few short years later I lost my job. I don’t know if we are heading for a recession, but here is my advice on how […]
Feeling Positive in Spite of Coronavirus
My husband calls me a catastrophist, because I always think about the worst case scenarios. “What can go wrong,” I often wonder, no matter what the situation might be. I blame my anxieties on a series of unexpected events: a pulmonary embolism, peripheral neuropathy, a flawed medical system that nearly failed me, years of infertility, […]
How Many Pennies in a Roll? The Value of Coin Rolling
“How many pennies in a roll?” my son asks. “Fifty,” I answer. “One, two, three, four,” he begins to count. “Six, seven, eight, nine, ten!” He declares with utter excitement. “Very good, keep going,” I respond. Minutes later stacks of pennies stand before him. His little fingers grasp the piles and move them into perfect […]
Chronic Illness: A Driving Force to Financial Independence
When you think about life after financial independence what do you think about? Most of us envision an adventurous future full of possibilities. There are so many exciting reasons to save money and stick with an early retirement plan, but joyful reasons aren’t at the top of everyone’s list. Among the crowds cheering for early […]