Money Tips Network

Yesterday, as I do most Fridays, I sent the GRS Insider to folks who subscribe to the Get Rich Slowly email list.

The email was unusual. It was more like a blog post than a simple summary of recent articles. I've had several people request a version they can share with other people, so — this one time only — I've created a stand-alone web version.

Parts of this have been edited slightly to account for the transition from email to web.

If you've been reading me for any length of time — or if you know me in person — you know that I hate conflict. I hate hate hate it. Some people seem to thrive on it. Not me. I shirk from it.

This is one reason I've steadfastly kept my financial writing politically neutral. I don't want conflict.

Considering getting a swimming pool? We don’t blame you! Just keep in mind that what you need from your insurance provider is going to change if you do.

Here’s what you need to know.

Find the Best Home Insurance

Enter your ZIP code below and be sure to click at least 2-3 companies to find the very best rate.

Top Life insurance mistakes to avoid

• Not shopping around
• Not evaluating your financial situation
• Not updating your life insurance policy
• Not understanding the types of policies available

An unexpected death can bring financial hardship to the people we love. To offset these risks, millions of Americans turn to life insurance policies as a way to protect their beneficiaries.

Life insurance is one of the more complex forms of insurance, and misconceptions are common. Is life insurance worth it? Yes, but you need to avoid common life insurance mistakes.

Find the Best Life Insurance

Enter your ZIP code below and be sure to click at least 2-3 companies to find the very best rate.

Buying a house or condo comes with tons of paperwork and countless details, and sorting through everything takes considerable time and effort on the owner’s part.

When deciding on how to protect a home and the personal items within it, one of the most important details is understanding the difference between home insurance and home warranties.

Find the Best Home Insurance

Enter your ZIP code below and be sure to click at least 2-3 companies to find the very best rate.

With infections spreading across the globe and many countries on lockdown, The current coronavirus pandemic has ground travel to a halt. If you had travel planned this spring or summer, you may be dealing with the disappointing fact that your trip will no longer be happening. If your plans have been affected, you’re probably wondering about the costs associated with canceling or rescheduling flights, hotel reservations and more.

J.D.'s note: Last September, I wrote that I didn't believe the world of personal finance needed more politics. I acknowledged that there were vast systemic issues that hold people back, but I argued that personal finance is personal.

While I still believe that individual action is (and always will be) the primary driver of financial success, my “no politics” stance has softened. No, that doesn't mean that Get Rich Slowly is suddenly going to change into a politics blog. That's not who I am. But it does mean that I'm willing to address political issues that affect our finances. (And, to be clear, I'm open to addressing these from both liberal and conservative perspectives.)

In psychology, there’s a popular model of how people learn that describes how someone progresses from being a complete beginner at a skill to being proficient at it.

In the first stage, called unconscious incompetence, you’re stumbling through your first attempts at something. You’re not just bad at it, you have no idea what you need to know to be competent at it.

In the second stage, called conscious incompetence, you’re still bad at something, but you have a much better idea of what you need to do to actually become competent at it.

In the third stage, called conscious competence, you can do something pretty well, but only if you really focus intensely on what you’re doing.

In the final stage, called unconscious competence, you can do something pretty well without even really consciously thinking about it.

Minneapolis, Denver, NYC, Oakland, Atlanta, Washington D.C., Louisville, San Jose, Des Moines, Detroit. The list goes on. These are just some of the cities that have experienced protests in the past week.

George Floyd's murder (and murder-porn video) was one of the catalysts for these protests. But let's be clear: Sooner or later, this was going to happen. Things are not okay in America. America's continuing issue with race, inequality, and the routine acceptance of the mistreatment of black people and other people of color came to a head in the last couple of days.

Then, we had Amy Cooper in New York City calling the police on Christian Cooper unecessarily during a normal incident that plays out all the time – annoying people with their dogs off leash. That one call could have resulted in Christian Cooper's death.

Like a lot of people in the modern world, there is often a constant undercurrent of stress and anxiety in my life.

I have a wife and three children still living at home, each of whom I try my best to be there for in a meaningful and focused way. I have a complex career. I have two parents that I love dearly that are older and in declining health. I have a lot of different community responsibilities and obligations.

All of that adds up to a lot of different things on my plate, and when you add to that the worries of the modern world, it can definitely add up to periods where I feel anxious and stressed out.