Think about all the money you have to spend to maintain your business activities. Now, think about how much more you could do if you could find a cheaper alternative than showing up at the store and dropping cash on the counter. There are numerous ways you can get big-ticket ... Read more...
No, I Do Not Need To Be “Provided For”
I was recently involved in yet another conversation that made me feel certain that there were only two possible explanations for what was unfolding before my eyes: No one else was really listening to what was being said, and therefore the appropriate level of disgust wasn't ... Read more...
To Summer School Or Not To Summer School
That is the question of the day, folks!I'm facing a major personal finance vs. quality-of-life dilemma here, and I'd really like your input. Let me give you some details, then please be so kind as to cast your vote and leave a comment below :) I've been teaching summer school ... Read more...
Want To Get Ahead At Work? Don’t Be Afraid To Screw Up
Frequently, when I introduce myself to people and explain what I do, they express some surprise (sometimes, not very politely) that someone in her twenties is serving in a leadership capacity at a large, public high school. Usually, these types of positions are reserved for ... Read more...
Follow Up: If Your Goal is Early Retirement, You Have the Wrong Goal
On Monday, I tried to spark a controversy about whether or not early retirement is the right goal to be pursuing. I'm sure that the statement itself revealed my sentiments about the matter, but in case it didn't: I think that people who have the goal of retiring early have the ... Read more...
Get Real: A College Education IS Worth It
Since the onset of the recession in 2008, it's become very trendy to discuss the crisis that recent college graduates face when attempting to get a job in a bad economy with massive student debt loads. Of course, there has also been a lot of chatter out there about whether a ... Read more...
Building a Career: What I Know So Far
In my twenties, so far, I've made many, many mistakes. I got into a lot of debt. I messed up really good relationships. I wore bad outfits, smoked too many cigarettes, and exceeded the speed limit on a near-daily basis. But one thing that I've managed to keep moving forward with, ... Read more...
Advising the Unemployed to Just “Start a Business” is Totally Naieve
Over the past several years of seeing the U.S. unemployment rate remain high (around 8%-9%) and simultaneously delving further into the world of personal finance articles and blogs, I've seen the same advice to the unemployed pop up over and over again, in one form or ... Read more...
Working When You Don’t REALLY Have To
Most people - family, friends, other teachers - think I'm crazy for teaching summer school every year. Especially when I tell them that I get paid on a 12-month schedule (some teachers only get their pay over 10 months and have to be disciplined and save throughout the year for ... Read more...
My Crap Jobs Taught Me How To Function in My Career
Throughout high school and college, like a lot of people in high school and college, I held a number of what I call "crap jobs." You know what I'm talking about - jobs that put spending money in your pocket, but that just basically suck. For some people, that's working in fast ... Read more...