We had a great time this past weekend, going out to a movie, attending a black-tie gala, and seeing the hometown Minnesota Vikings win at their new stadium. It is always fun to get out and be entertained, but I am amazed at out how expensive things have become. Going through some old ticket stubs recently, I came across a stub from a Madonna concert … Continue reading The Price Of Entertainment Keeps Rocking Higher
Are your kids involved in activities that are expensive? I signed up with a tennis club last week so I can continue to play during the winter months. I got 39 matches in this summer (playing outside) and it is hard for me to now pay for something I could do for free under the summer sun. I figure it will cost me about $750 … Continue reading The Cost Of Sports – Not Child’s Play
The stock market has been on an amazing 8.5 year upward trend that is called the second-longest Bull Market run in Wall Street history. Starting after the precipitous drop in 2008 and bottoming out in March of 2009, the current Bull Market run has posted average annual returns of +13% and total growth of almost 200%. The tech-heavy NASDAQ has done even better – up … Continue reading Second Longest Bull Market In History
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
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
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