There is risk to everything. Even the things we believe are low-risk have an opportunity cost, which is just another type of risk. Your personal level of risk is a huge determinant of your financial behavior. Here are some places you can put your money, starting with the least-risky to the most-risky: in-house checking account […]
Author: risky
The Ubiquity of Cyclical Spending
In a theoretical economy, the wages individuals earn through the value of their labor would be spent on the labor of others. A lawyer would use the wages he earns practicing law to purchase groceries from one who distributes groceries, he may also use part of his wages to make car payments to another who […]
Financially Bored
So I hit my target savings rate. Then I maxed out the 401k. Then I started working on the Roth IRA. Then I started working on my giving fund, the G-IRA. Then I finally waded through the garbage dump of red tape required to invest some of my HSA. But then what? And then what […]
Poverty Thinking
I’ve spent a lot more than I planned these past two months. It started with a phone and a refurbished laptop, then continued with a pair of blu-tooth headphones, several television blu-ray sets, and finally ended with some gifts for family and car parts. Spending large amounts of money usually makes me feel a bit […]
Dreaming Again
When I was in 8th grade, I asked for a new and intriguing video game for my birthday: Xenosaga Episode I. It was a space odyssey anime full of intriguing characters, vicious aliens, mysterious artifacts, and, you know, the fate of humanity. But it was also full of really sweet mechs. I was hooked. I […]
Late Summer Financial Update
I always want to be cautious providing financial updates because I never want it to sound like bragging. Really, I just want to demonstrate just how possible it is to do this “massive savings” deal, encourage others to do the same, and celebrate some milestones along my journey. 401k The biggest news item I have […]
Frugality is Not a Competition
…it is merely a strategy. I’ve never had a particularly positive view of competition, probably because I have most often seen it used for selfish reasons. I think of some of the less-reputable athletes at my high school who thought it was fun to dominate those less-athletic in gym class. There are some very good […]
Contributing to Your G-IRA
If you’ve done any research into retirement or investing, you’ve probably encountered several terms: 401k, Roth 401k, IRA, Roth IRA, 403b, 457, and several others. I had never in my life actually taken an interest in tax law until this past year, and it’s a little scary just how much there is to learn. Most […]
Thoughts on Prophetic Giving
Several years ago I read Marcel Mauss’s anthropological classic “The Gift”. It was one of the driest books I have ever read, made what I thought were several inaccurate conclusions, and really left me with a bitter taste in my brain. What it did accomplish, however, was impressing upon me just how complicated gift-giving can […]
The Power of Cash Position
My cell phone bricked itself this morning. Just completely shat itself out. Coma-inducing diarrhea. One moment it was running just fine, the next it was black-screened, and after several half-successful attempts to turn it back on, the damage seemed final. It even feels slightly lighter now, like its soul has leapt from its fleshly bonds […]