E is for Ela, who desperately wants me to take her for a run in the park.( Read more... )

Personal Financial Planning Issues Checklist

Circle anything you want to discuss.

Budget and Emergency Money checklist:

• Do you know what your fixed monthly expenses are?  (Ask me for a budget spreadsheet if we haven't done one before.)
• Do you have at least three months of your fixed monthly expenses in emergency savings somehow, whether a Roth IRA or a ( Read more... )

That's it, I need to lose weight.  I just realized that I do not have a single pair of shorts I can wear in public, and the two pairs of capris I can wear (having burst the seam in the third) are disturbingly tight, obviously because the fabric shrank in the drawer.  I went shopping yesterday with the thought of buying a fresh pair of capris ( Read more... )

( The stark, unyielding Ten )

I make a reasonable attempt to discern when my beliefs are religious in nature or based in facts.  I've finding that I've started to hold some beliefs that don't appear to be shared by everyone else, and I'm going to put them out here to stand and see how they hold up.

Stuff grown-ups are supposed to do for themselves.

1. You will need to obtain ( Read more... )

This is a nice essay from a friend of mine.  It is in keeping with the theme I've got about rethinking our relationship with our wages.  I'm linking to it here, but also quoting it full-text below.  Just to be clear, everything below this line is the original work of Jim Belfiore.

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( Jim's essay. )

( I took the boys to buy some hats and gloves. )

I had originally meant to review both financial books I've just read in the same post, but The Richest Man in Babylon by George S. Clason  deserves its own review. It's a slim volume and the copyright is expired so I will make this easy and link to a PDF you can download. There. Consider yourself led to water.

( The language is really dated, but on purpose. This is timely wisdom in any time. )

I am different than you.  Personally, I think that's okay, and I value that in other people (that they're different than me, that is.)  But if you have a problem with that, let's let it all hang out right now.

( The top ten reasons you wouldn't like me. )

I was replying to someone else and got all preachy.  Never one to waste ostentatious windbaggery, I figured I capture it here.

( Qualities to look for in a spouse. )