Relatively Painless Ways To Start Saving

Since the 1980s, the amount of money people have been saving has been dropping. The savings rate, which is defined as how much money a person saves divided by how much money they earn after taxes, was 3.8% in March, 2014. This means people are basically living paycheck to paycheck and any unexpected event, such as an accident or job loss, could result in major hardships, possibly even bankruptcy. A common excuse for not saving is people often...

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The Power Of Goals

Saving for anything can be difficult. It's hard to stay focused when all you can see of the goal is a hazy image months or years in the future that looks unattainable right now. Enter interim goals. Sure, you have a long term goal, but to stay motivated, you should have many small goals on the way to that larger goal. If your goal is to save up enough money to buy a car in two years, it might be difficult to put away that money each month or each...

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Elon Musk Donates $1 Million To Build A Tesla Museum

I've written previously about the Oatmeal comic about Tesla. If you visit that page, you'd also find out that the creator of the comic (also a Tesla owner) has been trying to get a Tesla Museum built He raised enough money to buy the land where Nikola Tesla's former laboratory stood. Unfortunately, building an actual museum would cost a lot more than just the land (due to a lot of environmental cleanup work that needs to be done to the property),...

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Money Saving Tips For Cruising

Me on a zipline in Ketchikan, AK I recently got back from a week-long Alaskan cruise with my wife and daughter through the inside passage. We had a great time! Alaska is some amazingly beautiful country! This was our third cruise and I think we've got the hang of how to make things go smoothly now. I've also discovered some tips that can save you some money! All these tips apply to Holland America cruise lines, which is the line we cruise...

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Goal Progress: End of June 2014

At the end of each month, I post an update of my goals, including a brief discussion of any notable events that might have occurred during the month. The latest month's figures can always be found under the Featured menu in the menu bar at the top of the blog. Last update: End of June, 2014 Current value: $6,159 Change from last month: + $409 Percent of Goal:  5.66% Note that the funds in this account are invested in stock, so there...

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Buy A Triplex, Get A Tesla

If you're in the market for a $6 million triplex in Brooklyn and also likes Teslas, this guy has a deal for you. Get a free Model S when you buy his triplex...

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The Hidden Cost Of Mutual Funds

I want to talk a bit today about a little noticed figure in mutual fund reports that most people don't pay attention to but that can affect your return in a large way, especially over time. That figure is what is known as the Expense Ratio and it comes in two varieties - the Gross Expense Ratio and the Net Expense Ratio. There are many ways to own mutual funds, but probably the way most Americans own shares is through their 401(k) or 403(b) retirement...

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