A lot of money smarts are also street smarts – knowing how to navigate the grocery store, finding the best cheap entertainment, and being able to negotiate a good deal. Other money smarts are also book smarts. The basics of economics and finance are helpful! Really! Recently, as friend asked me for an explanation of… [Read More]
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Save for a dream vacation
Many people save money for a dream project, such as a fabulous vacation. My family loves to travel, and it’s something we work into our budget. It helps that we don’t care too much where we go, as there are interesting things to see and great people to meet everywhere in the world. If one… [Read More]
The basics of Individual Retirement Accounts
An IRA is a great way to save money for retirement. The U.S. tax code offers a lot of advantages for saving through an Individual Retirement Account, sometimes called an Individual Retirement Arrangement, but most commonly known as an IRA. The bad news is that in trying to cover so many bases, the rules quickly… [Read More]
Overthinking pay negotiations with net present value
I was recently discussing pay with some freelancers I know, and I have net present value on the brain thanks to class this semester, and it all morphed into one conceptual idea: your desired pay is a net present value problem. Your willingness to supply labor is dependent on your opportunity cost: how much do… [Read More]
Blogging, sharing, and the value of your information
I keep this blog because I like an outlet for my thoughts on money, my travels, and my attempts to learn photography. It’s semi-public, because hardly anyone reads it, but that’s okay. I’ve been online for a long time. The brokerage firm that I worked for in San Francisco was one of the early promoters… [Read More]
