I had no plan for my money when I bought my condo, signed up for my cell phone plan, took on student loans, and committed to all of my financial obligations. Now that I want to tell my money where to go, I'm finding that it already has a lot of other places to be.
Last night after three hours of Shondaland I hopped onto my laptop and fell down a personal finance rabbit hole. It started with the latest post on Bitches Get Riches and ended when I fell asleep reading about price/earnings ratios on Investopia while watching the Big Short on Netflix. How did I go from reading an essay … Continue reading No Dancing Allowed
As 2017 rambles to a close I know that many people are looking forward to the most wonderful time of the year. No, I am not talking about or or . Those holidays ain't got nothing on People walk into H&R Block with their W-2 and come out like A February 2015 IRS news release … Continue reading Gimme The Loot – Giving Yourself a Raise
From January 2010 until September 2012 I was 100% debt free. No mortgage, no car note, no student loans, no credit cards, no IOUs, nothing. It was the first time since 1998 that I didn't owe anybody anything. I will not give you the impression that I budgeted, brought in extra income, and cut back … Continue reading You Ain’t Got to Be Rich, But You Do Need Wealth
I am often asked about my personal financial management. Amongst my friends and family I am known to be the one who is "good with money," so it is often assumed that I am a diligent money manager. What most don't know is that this perception is the furthest thing from the truth. I stopped … Continue reading Teach Me How To Budget
I was sitting at my cubicle diligently distracting myself from actual work when I caught my co-worker's conversation on the other side of the cube wall. She was talking to another team member about her goal to save $10,000 every year. More than five years later in that same office, but a different cubicle because, … Continue reading Can We Talk? – Why We Should Discuss Our Finances
Money is a taboo topic not to be discussed in polite company. Apparently, my friends and I didn't get the memo. It is inevitable that any time two or more of us get together the conversation will meander into finances. Everything from investments, salaries, student loans, the cost of child rearing, and everything in between … Continue reading The Richest Poor Person In Babylon – When Six Figures Is Not Enough
Ladies and gentlemen, I am here to tell you that we have been conned. Since the first time someone asked, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" we have been bamboozled, led astray, run amuck. We did not land on Plymouth Rock. Plymouth Rock landed on us! For as long as I … Continue reading No One Got Rich On a 9 to 5
My trip back home was lovely! Thank you for asking. I split my time between Brooklyn and upstate NY, hung out with my family, embarrassed my cousins at a high school football game, went to an art show, did an 80s workout, and told my childhood best friend to stop getting tax refunds. I even … Continue reading Vacation Penny Pinching – Post Mortem
One of the most common pieces of personal finance advice is to save three to six months of living expenses in case of an emergency like illness, job loss, accidents, or disasters. As many people know, it’s easier said than done. It can often take a couple of years to build that type of cash … Continue reading Six Month Stretch – Making An Emergency Fund Last
Open Mouths Get Fed 