Frequently Asked Questions About Baby Expenses

We have two plus years of baby care and the expenses that come with it now under our belt. At the same time, a lot of our friends and family are now having babies for the very first time, as are many of you, my dear readers. As a result, I’m constantly encountering questions about [...]

How Safe are Your Plans from Unexpected Expenses?

This post is super-important. If you can embrace the concept of financial readiness, I believe you can achieve any reasonable financial goal that you set. The problem is that we’re lying to ourselves. We design our budgets, set up our goals and live out our financial lives with the expectations that the world is at [...]

Warning: Unemployment May Be Good For You

It was 2006, shortly after graduating college with professional degrees in architecture, and things were looking up for us. Real estate in Florida was reaching its peak, developers couldn’t hire architects fast enough to create new projects, and firms of all sizes were hiring even semi-decent talent. I honestly believed I could find good-paying work [...]

Is Your Money Better Off Single or Married?

Most people don’t consider the financial implications of marriage when they take the plunge. Inherently, this isn’t a good or a bad thing, it’s simply that we have too many other things on our mind when we’re in love and ready to pop (or answer) “the question.” But…as we all know, marriage can have a [...]

Thoughts on 2 Years of Fatherhood

Our son turned two last weekend. Developmentally, this marks a point in his life where we’re starting to see emotion, a sense of  preference and improved communication, otherwise jointly known as the Terrible Twos. People randomly ask me if I’m scared of what’s coming next, as if some impending doom is about to descend over [...]

Mvelopes Re-Design and Free Version Fall Short

I started using Mvelopes to manage my budget in February 2009, less than one month after the launch of this blog. Since then, the software has remained mostly the same in terms of functionality, design, and price. Last week, Finicity launched a new version of the product with the promise of grand improvements. Unfortunately, my long-time [...]

What Do You Have to Lose?

I have a serious problem with contingency planning, even when I don’t mean to. In the back of my mind, I’m always 10 steps ahead of everyone else in terms of thinking of the “what-ifs.” It’s not necessarily a bad thing–I tend to be a very defensive driver, anticipating dumb things people will do well [...]

Goals, Goals, Goals: 2012 Edition

Every year starts out with the best intentions, grand plans, and dreams of what’s possible. By March, the initial momentum is usually gone, and it takes a lot of effort and motivation to rekindle the excitement that filled those initial weeks. This year, I’m doing things a little differently. For starters, I’ll be targeting only [...]

State of the Blog: 2012 Update

As we move into 2012 and I get ready for the year of financial posts ahead, I’m taking this week as an opportunity to look back and plan forward. Yesterday, I shared the most popular posts from 2011 with you. Today, I’d like to update you about what’s going on around the blog and what you [...]

The Best Posts of 2011

Welcome, 2012. Our family had a fantastic time in Orlando this weekend bringing in the New Year, and I have to tell you that Disney really knows how to throw a party and make it memorable. The fireworks spectacular on New Year’s Eve was like nothing I’ve ever seen before. All this week, I’ll be [...]

The Best Video You Will Watch This Year

For the last two weeks, I’ve been looking for a proper way to end the year on a positive note and send the readers of this blog into 2012 with momentum. As if by chance this week, the way to do it dropped directly into my lap. Long-time readers know that I’m a huge fan [...]

How to Create a Minimalist Budget

One of my core goals is to lead a simpler, more focused life. This post explores some of my original ideas for simplifying money. Mention the word budget and you immediately lose half the audience. Some are “way too advanced” for it, some have tried and failed, and others are too scared to even look. [...]

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