A few months ago I wrote about cryptocurrencies – like Bitcoin – and shared my son’s experience with it. You’ll perhaps recall he turned $65 into almost $700 in the first five months of the year. That was enough for him to buy an Apple iPad as he headed back to college and bank a few hundred extra. Like many readers who think of cryptocurrency … Continue reading Cryptocurrency Update – Still Growing
Friday was the 30th Anniversary of the Wall Street’s Black Monday Crash on October 19, 1987. I remember sitting in college that afternoon and my friend telling me he heard on the radio that the Dow Jones had dropped over 500 points that day (508, to be exact). I was incredulous that the market could drop that much in one day (-22.5%) and imagined that … Continue reading Black Monday Anniversary
After two posts this month assessing the tremendous cost of cars, their depreciating value, and ongoing repairs, I thought I would give partial time to acknowledging the incredible fun of cars. After all, while the financials are negative, they do provide many, many intangible benefits that help make life a joy. Similar to cabin/cottage life, world travel, or owning a speedboat, driving a cool car … Continue reading “Every Day This Man Takes A Vacation”
I’m continuing the discussion from my last post on the cost of vehicles by looking at the differences in the total cost of ownership for different models – basic transportation and luxury vehicles – over time. In April, I analyzed the impact of luxury homes on the number of years someone needs to work and reached the conclusion that trading up to a luxury home … Continue reading Financial Analysis: How Many Years Of Work Would A Luxury Vehicle Cost You?
We have had a BAD run of luck when it comes to car repairs this year. In the last 90 days, we have tallied close to $5,250 on our highly-engineered, but aging SUV and Sedan. They are nice models – a 2011 BMW X5 and a 2012 Mercedes 300C – but now that they have celebrated their 6th and 5th birthdays, they are heading to … Continue reading The Cost Of Keeping Cars Grows More Visible As Time Goes On
One of the things I enjoyed about working was coming in every morning and looking at the sales & volume numbers of the businesses I worked on. Each day, we would get a Daily Volume Report that showed how many cases of cookies, canned soup, frozen pizzas, or yogurt cups had been ordered by our grocery customers and every Monday morning we would see how … Continue reading Lifestyle Change By The Numbers
It’s now been a full year-and-a-half since I left MegaCorp and early retired. I drive by the corporate campus on the freeway almost daily and always give a quick wave or salute to my former colleagues that are still in the main buildings we used to work together in. Before I announced I was leaving MegaCorp, I wanted to make sure that I was on … Continue reading Have A Great Day, MegaCorp!
Some homes are well-cared for and maintained, while others are seemingly left to rot. Depending on the owner, it is either the best of times or worst of times for the condition of the house. My brother closed on a house last Friday that is a bona-fide fixer-upper. It is a home that was left mostly empty for the last 10-15 years and requires a … Continue reading A Tale Of Two Homes
More than anything after returning from our vacation last month, everyone wanted to know what it was like to drive on the ‘wrong side’ of the road when we were in Great Britain. All together, we drove almost 20 hours from London to Bath, the Cotswolds to York, from Edinburgh to Inverness. Like many Americans, I had never piloted a right-hand drive car and driven … Continue reading FIRE Travel – Driving On The Wrong Side
At the beginning of the year – when we have our Financial Round-Up Day – I put down my assumptions for what I think the financial markets and economy will return for the year. I try to be conservative in my expectations, but use it to set investing goals and create a spending plan for the year. With autumn now in full bloom, I thought … Continue reading 2017 Market Predictions – Autumn Review
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