How to get my job (2006 edition)
It seems like every year or two, somebody asks me how to get my job. Given the way the last year or so has gone, I can't believe anyone's asking me that question, but it's been coming back up again....
View ArticleWhy I never kept up with the Joneses
I had a bit of a financial epiphany over the weekend. I have a well-deserved reputation for being a tightwad. Part of it is in my blood; I'm largely of Scottish descent, and Scots just tend to act that...
View ArticlePaid in full.
This week, my wife and I drove to the bank and signed some papers initiating a wire transfer to our mortgage company. Yesterday, I had the satisfaction of logging into the mortgage company's web site,...
View ArticleSelf-Perpetuating Depression
My longtime friend Steve brought up a good point as we discussed our job situations. He said he read that some companies may be using the current DEPRESSION (I hate that r-word, let's call things what...
View ArticleDiving into real estate
You're not going to believe this. This week my wife and I applied for a mortgage. Not on our primary house. We're buying an investment property. I'm still struggling with the mortgage bit.
View ArticleDo twice-monthly mortgage payments save money?
The debate over paying your mortgage every two weeks rather than every month is making the rounds on some popular blogs right now. Whether this trick works depends on several things, but the most...
View ArticleJust because you can afford it now…
Today, the sermon at church was based mostly on Nehemiah 5. Nehemiah 5 talks about the ruinous financial situation of the children of Israel at the time the book was written. Check out Nehemiah 5:4-5....
View ArticleUnfinished thoughts from yesterday
I talked yesterday about what I did about my debt and why I have the attitude I have, but I didn’t talk about how to get started. The best thing to do is punch some numbers into a debt repayment...
View ArticleCan you afford that house or apartment?
Declining incomes have more people paying a higher percentage of their income in rent than in the past. I blame the recession. And what caused the recession? People getting in over their heads, buying...
View ArticleAnother benefit of not having debt
I’ve written about how not having debt gives you power, though I can’t find the particular post at the moment. But I remember when I got my first mortgage. I went to a party, and my boss was there,...
View ArticleDon’t buy a house if you can’t afford it
I see the advice all the time not to buy a house if you can’t afford it, but rarely do I see a good explanation of what that means. It’s really easy. Let me explain it, as someone who paid off a...
View ArticleDon’t e-mail yourself a list of all your passwords and bank account numbers...
So my buddy, we’ll call him Bob, runs Data Loss Prevention (DLP) for a big company. DLP is software that limits what you can do with sensitive information, in order to block it from going out of the...
View ArticleI am not in jail.
The bank vice president apologized for calling the police on me. That’s neither the beginning nor the end of the story, but it seems to me that police involvement of any kind is a sign that your real...
View ArticleSetting boundaries with difficult tenants
As a landlord, I’ve dealt with some difficult tenants, and I’ve noticed they all tend to use very similar tactics. Setting boundaries is a necessity to keep things under control, and in the end keep...
View ArticleRental property: a good investment
Is rental property a good investment? It certainly is if you do it right. Here’s what you need to know. I’ve seen several formulas for success, but I follow the one-percent rule, because you can do it...
View ArticleJust because you can afford it now…
Today, the sermon at church was based mostly on Nehemiah 5. Nehemiah 5 talks about the ruinous financial situation of the children of Israel at the time the book was written. Check out Nehemiah 5:4-5....
View ArticleUnfinished thoughts from yesterday
I talked yesterday about what I did about my debt and why I have the attitude I have, but I didn’t talk about how to get started. The best thing to do is punch some numbers into a debt repayment The...
View ArticleCan you afford that house or apartment?
Declining incomes have more people paying a higher percentage of their income in rent than in the past. I blame the recession. And what caused the recession? People getting in over their heads, buying...
View ArticleAnother benefit of not having debt
I’ve written about how not having debt gives you power, though I can’t find the particular post at the moment. But I remember when I got my first mortgage. I went to a party, and my boss was there,...
View ArticleI am not in jail.
The bank vice president apologized for calling the police on me. That’s neither the beginning nor the end of the story, but it seems to me that police involvement of any kind is a sign that your real...
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