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Millionaire Interview 23
Today we have a brand new installment of Millionaire Interviews.
This post is a bit unique in that it contains an original interview I did in the summer of 2013 plus an update as of now.
The original interview was posted on a site I no longer run.
So today's post will work like this:
- My questions will be in bold and italic font
- The original (2013) answers will be in black text
- The updated (2016) answers will be in bold red text
Hopefully that's not too confusing for everyone.
With that said, let's get started!
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How old are you (and spouse if applicable, plus how long you've been married)?
I’m 50 years young. My wife is a couple years younger. We’ve been married for 16 years.
Since my last update, I’m now 53 years young.
Star Money Articles for Week of September 19
Welcome to this week's edition of Star Money Articles.
Here's a post where the writer says he has every dollar he ever made. That's pretty impressive since he's made over $400k per year for 10 years.
The next one is a philosophical post that asks "What is enough?"
And if that question isn't enough, how about this one: "Can getting up early make you wealthy?"
Save a Ton by Having Your Wedding on a Thursday
Here's an interesting follow up to my recent post on how expensive weddings can be.
Money magazine has a piece on how some couples are saving a ton by having their weddings on Thursdays.
Yep, going off of prime time is always a saver no matter what you do and it's no different with weddings.
Most people don't want to get married on Thursday, right? Of course not! This means Thursdays are bargain-days!!!
From the article:
Joe, a dentist outside the New York City area, said the couple saved at least 20% on photography and around 40% on flowers just by changing their wedding date.
"We had a lot more purchasing power," he said. "Everyone would come down [in price] when they heard the word Thursday."
Why People Quit Their Jobs
Money Magazine lists the main reasons people quit their jobs as follows (with the percentage of people who gave this reason):
- Because they didn’t have room to grow (45%)
- Poor leadership (41%)
- Wanting better work culture (36%)
- Wanting more challenging work (36%)
- Wanted better pay (34%)
- Wanted better recognition at work (32%)
I've left jobs for all of these reasons throughout the course of my career but "poor leadership" is probably the reason I moved on most. No matter how great the company is, the people are, the mission is, and all the rest, if the leadership stinks then work life is a disaster.
I'm not sure leaving for better pay was ever the main reason I moved companies, but it was always part of the equation. I never wanted to go backwards and did want to gain a good amount with every move, something I was able to do most of the time.
Interviews are Back!
Back in the day, I used to run several reader interview posts that were very popular here at Free Money Finance.
Well, it's my pleasure to announce they are back!!
The series are:
Star Money Articles for Week of September 12
Welcome to this week's edition of Star Money Articles.
Let's begin with 13 Things You Need to Reach Your Money Goals. The twist? It's not money. :)
Here's a funny take on internet trolls.
How about this as a promise: How to Beat 80% of Investors With 1% of the Effort. Short answer: index funds.
Wondering if you're financially stable? Here are 31 signs that will help you know.
30 Ways to Earn Extra Cash
Kiplinger lists 30 ways to earn extra cash.
Some of these are completely weak in my opinion (election officer? search for unclaimed property?), but there are ones I would consider including:
The Big Financial Advantages of a 15-Year Mortgage
Here's an interesting piece from Money magazine that reminds us of the advantages of a 15-year mortgage over a 30-year mortgage -- namely, the cost.
They list four reasons a 15-year mortgage is better but the main reason is point #1 -- it saves a TON of money!
Key quote:
Taking out a 15-year mortgage dramatically cuts your home-loan repayment time. The faster you repay the loan, the less in interest you need to pay. This can save you tens of thousands of dollars over the (shorter) life of your loan. A 15-year mortgage also usually offers better interest rates than other loan products.
Exactly how much money?
I went to Google, typed in "mortgage calculator" and they had an easy on-page calculator that covered the basics.
Weekend Money Traps
Here's a list of weekend money traps from Money Magazine:
1. The Movie Theater
2. The Car Lot
3. The Mall
4. Restaurants
5. Open Houses
6. The Furniture Store
7. Big Ticket Events
8. The Weekend Road Trip
Here's how my family does on these:
1. Nope, don't do the theater on the weekends. We go on Tuesdays when the movies are $5.75 versus $10. That's if we go at all (we're pretty picky on which movies we "have" to see in theaters. We NEVER get popcorn or soda either.).
2. I don't shop for cars. I have dealers submit bids through email, each bidding lower until all fall out but one. Then I pick the car up whenever I want. I try to avoid weekends at the car lot because it gets too crowded.
Star Money Articles for Week of September 5
Welcome to this week's edition of Star Money Articles.
Here's a great piece for those of you who want to sell your house and save yourself the cost of realtor's fees. This post details how one man saved over $14k by selling his home himself.
Want to make your financial life easier? Here are 10 personal finance apps that will do just that.
Investor Junkie compares target date funds and robo-advisors. Interesting read for me as I didn't even know what robo-advisors were.
And to round out the interesting reads, here are five personal finance lessons from Donald Trump. Don't worry, it's not politically biased one way or the other.
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