Friends we know recently asked us, “How do you manage your finances as a couple?” My wife answered: “Big Numbers and Little Numbers.” That IS how we do it – she manages the household checkbook and monthly bills (little numbers). I manage investments and annual tracking (big numbers). It’s not about importance – they both are important. It’s just what we are good at. She … Continue reading Big Numbers, Little Numbers
They say that a puppy is a ticket to immediate exercise, but our 3-a-day walks of the new pupper have surprisingly been a ticket to something else …. getting to know our neighborhood in a completely new way. We thought we knew the neighborhood well already. We’ve lived here for almost 11 years and have met everyone up-and-down the street at one time or another. … Continue reading Neighborhood Tour Guide
It was soon after my first MegaCorp pension check arrived in the mailbox that the latest CPI report was released with the most price inflation we’ve seen in more than a decade. My new pension payment is fixed – no cost of living adjustment – so I immediately had visions of it being quickly consumed by this monetary beast that has been lying in wait … Continue reading Inflation On The Way?
I might have mentioned before that my wife and I don’t really keep a household budget. We used to be very, very diligent about it, but over the years we just stopped. I could tell you what we roughly spend each month, but not without actually adding it up. I only really know if we are spending too much by looking at our long-term net … Continue reading Budgets & Big Purchases
I’ve often said that if I hadn’t had a job that required me to go into the MegaCorp office every day, I might have worked much longer. As everyone has learned during the CV19 pandemic, people are happier when pretending to work from home. 🙂 Related: The Onion: Working From Home With the CDC announcement yesterday that vaccinated people can now safely go back to … Continue reading Return-To-The-Office?
The personal finance radio host Dave Ramsey often talks about creating ‘generational wealth’ as the final step in his Total Money Makeover. He encourages people to think about how they can fundamentally “change their family tree” by building an uber portfolio that allows them to pass money on to their kids and even grandkids. I like to listen to Dave Ramsey and think he generally … Continue reading Fertilize The Family Tree?
We are about 6 weeks into taking care of our new puppy, Riley, and everyone is asking us how we are adjusting to the ‘new baby’? The short answer is that it DOES feel like we have a new baby in the house. There are late night wake-ups to take him out, regimented feeding times, and lots of teaching basic commands. He has really restructured … Continue reading Puppies vs Babies
After President Biden was elected, I went through his proposals and could not find any that really would affect me directly in a negative way. The one concern I noted – before the Republicans lost power in the Senate – was a change in the capital gains tax. Now that we have one-party control in Washington DC – which is always scary – talk of … Continue reading Capital Gains Taxes – A Slippery Slope for Retirees?
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