I have not invented or discovered any of the ideas behind basic personal finance. Everything I say will have been said by many different people at many different times, and probably – likely even – in a more eloquent way. The basic gems of money management are obvious common sense. And while I do think… Read More: You manage what you measure »
I went through six months of Leif’s finances (January 2013 – June 2013) and made some pretty charts in an attempt to diagnose the sickness in Leif’s financial avatar. I’ll start with the good news. Income. Leif makes a healthy income in a profession that is more recession-proof than most and as an independent contractor,… Read More: Leif Week 3: The diagnosis and fun with charts ! »
In the second week strength training Leif’s financial avatar, he told me he was planning a 2 week vacation. Oof, this was the equivalent of telling your personal trainer that you were gearing up for an amateur pie eating contest. Leif expressed concern about the timing as well and and floated the idea of shelving… Read More: Leif’s dilemma: Vacation »
This is the wall chart from Your Money or Your Life and my daily motivation. Here are my monthly expenses for the last few years. Here are my monthly incomes for the last few years. If you put them together, you can get a visual of the capital I used to first vanquish my student… Read More: My retirement plan in charts »
Leif’s Money Makeover Week 2 Note: Leif has no credit cards and all of his debt is from student loans. He uses his debit card for his purchasing. He is an independent contractor and has to pay his own taxes. Now that we know where your financial avatar is right now (your current net worth:… Read More: Leif Week 2: Where has your money gone? »
Leif’s Money Makeover Week 1 The first step is to see exactly where you are right now in terms of net worth. This means paying attention and owning up to your situation. The month to month change in your net worth is a good indicator of how healthy your finances are in a chart-able and… Read More: Leif Week 1: Know Your Worth »
Leif* is a brilliant, handsome, creative and fun guy in his late 20’s. He finished graduate school with a lucrative and stable degree in 2009 and quickly found a job. He works as an independent contractor and his accountant opened an S Corporation for him a couple of years ago. Leif is as scattered in… Read More: The story of Leif »