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The Simple Dollar

Simple, applicable personal finance advice for the modern world.

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Latest Posts from The Simple Dollar (page 40)

The Psychology of Human Misjudgment

Published Thursday, December 6, 2018 - 10:00 by The Simple Dollar

Recently, I came across a wonderful 1995 speech by Charlie Munger to an audience at Harvard University, and I wanted to share it with you along with some of my thoughts on it. A lot of thoughts, actually. […]

Money and Life Lessons from a Major Earthquake

Published Thursday, December 6, 2018 - 07:00 by The Simple Dollar

While talking on the phone with my daughter last Friday, I heard an unearthly roar and felt the house begin to shake violently. It was the start of a 7.0-magnitude earthquake, which was quickly followed by a second temblor measuring 5.8. The epicenter was about eight miles northwest of my home in Anchorage, Alaska, but it felt as though it were directly under my feet. […]

Life Stability and Financial Choices

Published Wednesday, December 5, 2018 - 10:00 by The Simple Dollar

Personal finance is often a “numbers game.” A person can sit down with a calculator and a piece of paper or with a spreadsheet and go through countless models and ideas about their financial future and, for the vast majority of those ideas, come up with some reasonable conclusions. For example, if you’re paying off debts, you’re always going to end up paying the least total amount overall if you […]

When Should You Take a Buyout Offer?

Published Wednesday, December 5, 2018 - 08:00 by The Simple Dollar

At the end of October, General Motors offered buyouts to all salaried workers in North America with at least 12 years of service, while acknowledging that if too few employees accepted the offer, layoffs might be necessary. […]

Frugal Gift Ideas for This Holiday Season

Published Tuesday, December 4, 2018 - 10:00 by The Simple Dollar

It’s early December, and that means my mailbox is full of requests from readers for frugal gift ideas for the holidays, both in terms of inexpensive gifts that will be appreciated and gifts to give a frugal person. I usually address this question in some form or another each holiday season, but I update the ideas each year because I discover new things and older ideas tend to fall out of date, tho […]

What a Financial Trainwreck Can Teach Us: Six Mistakes to Learn From

Published Tuesday, December 4, 2018 - 07:00 by The Simple Dollar

A married couple recently confessed to some horrifying money blunders in an interview on the WealthSimple website. […]

Questions About Car Loans, Toasters, Skin Care, Mortgages, and More!

Published Monday, December 3, 2018 - 10:00 by The Simple Dollar

What’s inside? Here are the questions answered in today’s reader mailbag, boiled down to summaries of five or fewer words. Click on the number to jump straight down to the question. 1. Possible dodgy car loan 2. Maximum income before taxes 3. Buy it for life toaster? 4. Financial success dependent on others? 5. Frugal skin care solutions 6. Books on modern frugality? 7. […]

How Introverts and Extroverts Spend Their Money Differently

Published Monday, December 3, 2018 - 07:00 by The Simple Dollar

How you decide to spend your money is a deeply personal issue. […]

Making Money Gifts Fun for Kids

Published Sunday, December 2, 2018 - 08:00 by The Simple Dollar

Most kids would rather open a present to find a new iPad than a share of Apple stock. […]

Inspiration from Rhiannon Giddens, Arthur Schopenhauer, James Clear, and More

Published Saturday, December 1, 2018 - 10:00 by The Simple Dollar

Once a month (or so), I share a dozen things that have inspired me to greater personal, professional, and financial success in my life. I hope they bring similar success to your life. 1. […]