Our home state of Minnesota regularly shows up at the top of the list of states with the highest taxes in the USA. A few years ago, Kiplinger’s named Minnesota – not California or New York – as the country’s “Least Tax Friendly State”. As many Minnesotans have left the state for low taxes & warm weather in Florida, many have suggested we join them. … Continue reading Department of Residency
We’ve left the below-zero cold of Minnesota for our annual Winter Summerland escape… Florida. We flew down a couple weeks ago and are renting a Beach Jeep & Bungalow in Delray / Palm Beach County. On the flight down, I noticed this Fortune article with some good news. It suggests Gen Z is fundamentally changing tipping practices. How? They aren’t doing it! Even at sit-down … Continue reading Tipping Trends & Palm Beach
A few years ago, I wrote about my hobby of collecting antique Shiny Brite Christmas ornaments from the 1940s-1960s. Since I retired in 2016, I’ve probably collected upwards of 50 of them. Among all of the things you could collect, Shiny Brites were very affordable. I’d pick up a glass lantern, UFO, or a curvy tree for just $4-$6 on average. If I found a … Continue reading Inflationary Christmas Treasures
When I was a corporate officer at MegaCorp, you were expected to maintain a certain % of your annual salary in company stock. I forget the exact amount, but I think it was 2-3x your annual total compensation. It wasn’t too hard, given the company had been doing well and we all had stock grants and stock options. Still, as personal finance matriarch, Jane Bryant … Continue reading Looking At Returns Over Time
It’s the busy season for charitable organizations as the end of the year comes close. The end of the calendar year is also the end of the tax year, so 501c3 non-profits hope to close out 2023 strong. Unfortunately, giving trends haven’t been positive for a while. The chart below shows American giving over the last 40 years. While there is some bounce in the … Continue reading Ring Out The Year Charitably
I had my first experience living with an electric vehicle last week when my son and I were in Los Angeles to fly on the Goodyear Blimp. It was a Jeep Wrangler 4Xe that we rented through Avis for the same price as a regular rental car. My friend Jeff has been ‘mentoring’ me through the dollars & sense of going electric, but it was … Continue reading The Dollar & Sense of Driving A Hybrid EV
Sometime this afternoon, my old Jeep might meet my new Jeep. I’d like to get that picture if the two of them end up parked next to each other at the same time. Since they are the same color, it really feels like my old Jeep is just morphing into the new one! The switcheroo came about quickly. Soon after selling the my 2-door Jeep … Continue reading Jeep Switcheroo …
As I mentioned last week, I put my Jeep Wrangler up for sale. It was the first time I’ve ever tried to sell a vehicle on the open market. I wasn’t prepared for what happened when my ads went live on Craig’s List and Facebook Marketplace. Nothing, that is. I was prepared for about everything, but not at all prepared for nothing. After more than … Continue reading Quiet Sale
In the world of personal finance and saving for the future, there’s always a new trend that is said to be making waves. The latest one is called “soft saving” – I just heard about it. In “soft saving,” the traditional wisdom of working hard, saving diligently, and retiring early is being challenged by a generation that values experiences and personal growth over accumulating wealth. … Continue reading Soft Saving Approach
Debt is a four-letter word for anyone looking to retire early. In fact, it should be for everyone. Still, despite our relative prosperity, Americans are more in debt than ever. It looks like total consumer debt is 15% higher than it was before the pandemic. All of the stimulus money had only a temporary impact on debt levels … It’s one thing to be sitting … Continue reading Debt Getting Very Expensive
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