I’m updating my financial independence charts, but this will likely be the second to the last time. I’m devising a new visual aid to track my expenses and hope to have a new system in place by the new year. As a reminder, here is where I stood at the end of October 2015. October 2015… Read More »
This is another post in my series – “List of Items I Don’t Spend Money on That You Probably Do That Are Draining Your Net Worth!” I really need to find a better name for this series. Today’s post looks at cell phone plans. You may want to consider switching to Google’s new Project Fi. Let me say first… Read More »
I think most of the advice I dispense is common sense. Spend less than you earn. Make plans. Set goals. Document the progress. For most people (me included), it’s tough to stay motivated. Here are some tactics I used to keep my goal in sight and my financial avatar galvanized. Tip 1: Email your future self… Read More »
Thepowerofthrift.com has been in existence for more than three years now and, in that time, several readers have asked me to post the spreadsheets that I use to generate my financial independence charts. So without further ado, here is a list of reasons why I haven’t posted it yet. Reasons I Neglected to Post My Spreadsheets to My Blog Earlier… Read More »
This is another installment in my series “Habits that I don’t indulge in that you probably do that drain your net worth!” (The series title is still in beta). What am I asking you to give up now? Your television set! I know! I know! I see you shaking your head at me and saying that a television… Read More »
Why would I spend my time learning about HSAs? It’s certainly not something I thought about in any detail prior to a couple of weeks ago. But, you may remember my last harrowing article on insurance. Well, my new health insurance plan sent me a flyer in the mail reminding me that my health plan includes… Read More »
I pick on stuff, things, consumer goods, junk, as a personal finance geek because I know that much of a person’s budget (and debt) comes from these items and because these expenses are usually not recurring, necessary or fixed and thus easier to cut. The average American easily owns more consumer goods than any society in the history of the… Read More »
This may surprise you, but I really dislike budgets. The word budget, to me, reeks of deprivation and drudgery. I know that some people can benefit from tracking how they spend every single penny, but I could never get myself to do it. I prefer an overall money management strategy and not a specific budget. Spend less than you… Read More »
I check one of my credit reports every four months to make sure my financial avatar hasn’t developed walking pneumonia. I worry about someone stealing my identity and since it happens to almost ten million people a year and data breaches are pretty much constant, I consider this anxiety justified. Happily, I can ease the unease FREE! The… Read More »
My single greatest fear when I waded into early retirement was what I would do about health insurance. I want to consider myself a generally healthy person. Except for my “horrifyingly low” levels of Vitamin D, my yearly physicals turn up nothing worrisome. I easily walk 4 kilometers a day just to get to and from… Read More »