I just heard about Chelsea Clinton’s upcoming wedding.
You: It was announced some time ago.
Well, somehow I missed getting an invitation.
You: Yeah, me too. Are you surprised?
Not at first, since I don’t know Chelsea Clinton. Or Bill. Or Hillary.
You: You don’t know who they are?
I know who they are – but I don’t know them personally.
You: [...]

Continue reading about Why I’d still be single if my wedding cost as much as Chelsea Clinton’s

Michael on June 21st, 2010
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If you wanted your child to learn how to play baseball, who would be the ideal teacher?
You: Dustin Pedroia.
Okay, I love how the guy plays the game, but let’s just say his current professional career makes him unavailable to teach your kid for the next 20 years.
You: Darn.
Realistically, who would you want to teach your [...]

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Michael on June 8th, 2010
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You: You mean there’s a choice?
Not really.  While it’s possible to structure some of your financial affairs to lessen your tax burden, most high-income earners will still pay a lot in taxes while those at the lower end will pay far less.
You: So then why ask what the right amount of taxes to pay is?
I’m [...]

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Michael on May 3rd, 2010
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Some quick thoughts:
Nope, we didn’t purchase a house before Friday – but not for lack of trying.  We made what we thought was a good offer on  a nice property. Nonetheless, our offer was not good enough in the eyes of the sellers, who elected to keep the property on the market while hoping for [...]

Continue reading about Three Random Facts: Housing, Saving, Flying

Michael on April 13th, 2010
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My brother sent me a link to On a tight budget? Odds are you’ll spend more. Since the article’s title suggests that trying to micro-manage expenses was a failing strategy, I was intrigued. After all, and as long-time readers know, I like the rule “Major on the major, minor on the minor” Therefore, I [...]

Continue reading about Are saving and math skills correlated?

Yesterday, I read an interesting article in the Boston Globe highlighting the experiences of the many 18-29 year olds still depending on Mom and Dad.
You: Because they’re still living at home?
Actually, the examples in this case aren’t boomerangs. Instead, the article profiles people living in the big city who are still getting checks every month [...]

Continue reading about Financial Immaturity: Are you really a grown-up if Mom and Dad still support you?

Twice in the last two winters, we’ve lost power for about 36 hours.
You: You should just pay the damn electric bill.  I know you like to negotiate everything, but you’ve got two little kids –
Massive ice storm last year.  Massive windstorm last weekend.  My write-up of the December 2008 event:
Visiting Boston during an ice storm [...]

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Michael on February 8th, 2010
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A close relative of mine just sent me this email:
Gotta love my bank . . .
I went online to check my bill and I see nothing there about me ever having a credit card…
As i’m looking around I notice I have an “email” from bank of America with a new credit card number…umm…WHAT!??!
So I call [...]

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Michael on January 22nd, 2010
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As common as identity theft has become, I am amazed at the poor password practices of many people I interact with.
You: Because I use my significant other’s name as my password?
That’s one example.  But, at least according to this New York Times article, there are far more egregious examples.   When a hacker was able [...]

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Michael on December 9th, 2009
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Last week I discussed Why the drop in late credit card payments doesn’t excite me. Then, I covered The real unemployment rate just this past Monday.
To continue my little rant on misleading statistics today I discuss the phenomenon of lower credit card balances.  Analyzing TransUnion data, the AP reported the credit card delinquency decline here [...]

Continue reading about The real reason credit card balances are falling