Personal Finance ABCs

A wise man wrote “There is a huge gap between the skills and knowledge each and every one of us needs to manage our financial lives, and the formal training that we’ve received.”  That was me.  It’s on the about page.

I have lots of posts to help with this.  The latest posts are on the home page, but there are many more.  Click on the category links in the header to explore!

I started with some ideas on how to save more money and create a budget, herehere and here.  Once we’ve managed to save some, we need to start investing.  Check out the posts on  compoundingasset allocationmutual funds and ETFsstocks and bonds. I’ve also got posts to help understand financial products and how they work, and how to use them to your advantage.

  • My company has a 401k. What is it, how does it work, and how can I participate?
  • My credit card gives me points. What am I giving up in exchange?
  • I’d like to invest in stocks but I don’t understand them.

I’ve also got tips on car buying from a former car salesman and a comparison of hearing aids.  

And you can always get back to the home page by clicking the dancing dollar sign guy at the top left of every page.

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If You're Going To Phish, At Least Put Some Effort Into It
I get hit regularly by phishing texts and emails. Let’s back up a bit. Phishing (like fishing)...
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Budget is Not a 4 Letter Word
In my writing and in my personal finance classes, probably the least loved topic is budgets. A budget...
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Overvalued Stocks - Stay Away!
Today we’re going to poke fun at conventional wisdom. Saddle up! A guy walks up to you on the...
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Solar Panel (and Battery) Update
Take 2. On Sunday over coffee, I started describing my solar journey in great detail. Rich quickly...
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Thursday Extra - Car Insurance
In addition to the other topics on meatball Thursday, Mike and I covered car insurance. I saw some info...
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What's a Lot of Money To You?
I’m hoping some of you will respond in the comments below. I started thinking about this today....
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Making A Few Extra Bucks With Covered Call Options
I’ve written a bit about covered call options here, here and here. But here’s a brief overview....
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Thursday Mixed Bag
Today I’ve got a couple of things on my mind that I hope you’re all interested in. It’s...
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Patience, Expectations and Income
I’ve written posts on dividend paying companies. I love a great American business that has been...
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What, Me Worry?
Today’s tribute is to Alfred E Neuman. He’s a different Neuman than the one that burned...
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More Investments Not To Make
I wrote recently about DECIDING A COMPANY IS NOT WORTH INVESTMENT (TO ME). This is a very important...
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Tesla...And Another Thing
Yesterday’s post was a refresh of my thesis on Tesla. I own shares and with a disappointing earnings...
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A Beginner's Guide to Buying Stock
I write a lot about evaluating companies and tracking performance, as well as the wealth building track...
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Thesis Check-in - Tesla
It’s hard to go a day without reading a news story about Tesla’s struggles. Yesterday was...
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Most Actively Managed Equity Funds Underperform
That’s a shame. But it’s true. Today’s post is a follow-on to yesterday’s...
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If Your Equity Investments Haven't Gained 24% in 2024, You Need To Make Some Changes
That’s harsh. I’m not trying to make you feel bad, but we need to dig into this. Why...
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Deciding a Company Is Not Worth Investment (To Me)
I talk a lot about finding great companies in which to invest my hard-earned money. But today I thought...
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Stop Spending Your HSA
Today’s good news! Trump’s ‘big beautiful’ bill expands access to this ‘powerful, yet underutilized’...
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Another Dividend Favorite
I just finished writing about dividend aristocrat Fastenal here. The post was about how important it...
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Boring Is Beautiful
As an investor, there is nothing more exciting than when I buy shares of a company and I’m immediately...
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3 Steps to Better Finances
I was reading an article the other day about saving. From the title, it looked like crap. Typical click-bait...
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