We’re having a successful ‘repair season’ this Summer in terms of productivity & financial standing. In Minnesota, a year’s worth of exterior home repairs gets shoehorned into the 6 months from May through October to take advantage of the good weather. Right now our neighborhood is awash in a wave of roofers, siding companies, concrete sealers, landscapers, and painters. Salesmen – often the owners of … Continue reading Summer Repair Season
It’s hard to find good financial news lately, so today I thought I would take a step back and look at a longer period of time. It’s easy to get get caught up in the day-to-day headlines, but if you are going to reach financial independence and retire early (FIRE), you have to be focused on the big picture. The chart below shows the S&P … Continue reading Taking The Long View
I read today that 85% of Americans think “the country is heading in the wrong direction.” It was from a new Associated Press survey and reflects the country’s angst with inflation, interest rates, immigration, CV19 response, and other issues. 85% – I guess the country isn’t DIVIDED anymore! 🙂 For Independence Day weekend, however, I would rather focus on what has made us SUCCESSFUL as … Continue reading Happy Economic Freedom Weekend!
Well, I gave Biden some credit back in December for the nice bump that we had seen in the stock market in 2021. I felt obligated to, given how well the market had performed … +27% last year. Still, I noted then that I was worried that Biden wanted to be too helpful and that significant inflation was a real worry. He literally said “help … Continue reading Politicians Too Eager To ‘Help’
They say we vote with our dollars, so I was interested when someone recently asked online, “What are you boycotting until the day you die?” The post had over 3 thousand responses, so I quickly tallied through a bunch until I had a good sense of the top ones people mentioned over & over again … The fact that many of these are the biggest … Continue reading What Are You Boycotting?
They say, “a stitch in time, saves nine,” but sometimes waiting to do something pays off even bigger. In investing, it’s a bit of luck. My broker had been calling over the last 8 weeks to ask what we wanted to do with a big chunk of cash that came our way through a real estate sale. I’m lucky I didn’t decide what to do … Continue reading Timing Your Stitches In The Stock Market
I’ve written before about cryptocurrencies when they were growing, so I thought it only right that I also comment on them when they are falling. Bitcoin is now trading at less than half of what it was at last November. It’s gone from a peak of $69K/coin down to just $30K. That’s a sad drop for a digital currency that was supposed to help protect … Continue reading Are Cryptos Blowing Away?
I’ve had pretty good luck with rental cars over the years. Other than the one time a city bus plowed into my (parked) SUV in front of a hotel in snowy Aspen, I’ve never had a reportable incident. Until this year. I just got back from a board meeting in Michigan, and on the way back to the airport a rock flew up from an … Continue reading Rental Car Curse!
Everyone knows the moment you drive a car off a new dealer lot, you just cost yourself over $10,000 in depreciation. That rule has been true as long as I can remember. Now, something else seems to be happening. Fueled by the post pandemic/stimulus money and car shortage, the Jeep Wrangler that I bought last year seems to have appreciatied at significant rate! As you … Continue reading New Car Appreciation?
A few weeks ago, I published an article about the financial surprise of big repairs and expenses around the house. In the comments, regular reader, Thom, mentioned that he forecasts and accrues for these ‘personal capital expenditures’ – which can occur over years and decades – on an annual basis. The key to his approach is a spreadsheet that lists all of the major components … Continue reading Accruing For Home Repairs – Spreadsheet Download
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