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]
Blog
Category: Financial Advice
The retiree next door could be you
I’m not going to the FinCon financial bloggers conference this year, but the steady flow of news from participants makes me feel like I’m there after all. One of the events associated with this year’s event is the The Retiree Next Door, a survey and e-book about the realities of being an American retiree in 2014…. [Read More]
The middle-class squeeze and the frugal economy
Consumer spending represents 69% of U.S. GDP. That number includes spending on health care and education as well as spending on purses and shoes, and it’s big. The way to get ahead financially is to live on less money than you earn and get a return that beats inflation. In one sense, it’s very easy…. [Read More]
Payday loan are terrible, horrible, and no good
One of the big problems with personal finance is that there are a lot of people out there who are making money off of those who can least afford it. As the bankers like to say, those who do not understand compound interest are doomed to pay it. Among the worst offenders are payday lenders. John Oliver has… [Read More]
Ace Greenberg, and why corporate cost-cutting is usually a disaster
Alan Greenberg, often known as Ace, died recently. He had been the chairman of Bear, Stearns and was known for his dictates to his employees. One of the most famous was the Ace Greenberg Paper Clip memo, in which he ruled that paper clips should not be thrown away. Each employee received one box of… [Read More]
