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.

sun-8553511_1280
Friday's Thoughts
It’s Friday May 9. It’s been a wild year to date in the market and I had a long drive today...
Read More
t
TJX Is A Bargain
Today, I’m perusing the TJX annual report. Before we get into (a light assessment of) the details,...
Read More
smiley-2157591_1280
Don't Shoot Yourself in The Foot. Some thoughts on Market Timing.
This weekend, I read an article in Benziga called Peter Lynch’s Market Observation: ‘Far...
Read More
lemur-3295891_1280
Today's surprise - Experience Drives Commitment
The old guys and I have been discussing the merits of owning investment property here and here. Between...
Read More
house-2003067_1280
Is Buying Property a Good Investment?
The old guys and I have been debating whether buying property is a better investment than the S&P...
Read More
r
Should I Invest in Rental Property?
Reader Mike asks about rental property as an investment. While I’ve never owned rental property,...
Read More
stock-624712_1280
Investing As A Hobby
In a few posts, I’ve mentioned how investing is a hobby for me. I read company annual reports...
Read More
subscribe-5408999_1280
What Are You Paying For Subscriptions?
I was surprised by an article I read today. I’m hoping to get some feedback because I’d...
Read More
cashbox-1642989_1280
Cash - You Have options
Yesterday, I wrote a post about the importance of having cash in a rocky market. While cash doesn’t...
Read More
bank-notes-941246_1280
I Love Cash - Some Thoughts On Money Markets
Quick story today. I’ve written about my love for Costco and some other great companies, but today...
Read More
dollar-2931882_1280
Dollar Cost Averaging is Your Friend
It’s April 22, 2025. The S&P 500 has had a wild ride of late. It’s down about 11% year-to-date,...
Read More
person-41402_1280
Don't Panic! What To Do About Tariffs and market Volatility
The craziness in the markets has got the media excited. Some articles are a call to action. Immediate...
Read More
medal, award, honor, merit, winner, champion, school olympics, medal, medal, medal, medal, medal, award, award, award, award, winner
Car Detailing - Round 1 Results
For those who read the prior post here, I was comparing the Griot’s Garage detailing products to...
Read More
trader
What's Up With Tariffs and Stock Prices
Everything is down. We had a brief reprise on Wednesday April 9 when some of the higher tariffs were...
Read More
a
3 Thinks I Learned From The Amazon Shareholder Letter
As an investor, it’s important to understand who is running the companies in which we invest and...
Read More
stock-market-6693060_1280
What Did The Market Just Do? Nothing - Here's Why.
For anyone who owns a security, whether it is a stock, bond, mutual fund, or ETF, it is important to...
Read More
IMG_0069 (1)
Car Detailing Face-Off: Griot's v. Chemical Guys
Today was spring car detailing day. I thought I’d add some excitement and do a face-off between...
Read More
Screenshot
Fun Things To Do When The Market's Melting Down
There is no joy in Mudville…Mighty Casey isn’t the only one who has struck out today. We’re...
Read More
emoji-4688380_1280
Reading Annual Reports - Don't Be Discouraged
I’ve written a bit about company annual reports. What are they? Each year, every public company...
Read More
Screenshot
Politics & The Growing National Debt
There are few things that I can truly say that I hate, but politics is right up there. In our own lives,...
Read More
Screenshot
My New Favorite Shopping Tool
I hate to shop, but I love stuff. That’s odd. To me, there’s nothing worse than going...
Read More
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18