marital money mantra #3: giving gifts is not a license to be financially irresponsible August 30, 2007

Oh the irony of having vision with blurred discernment.
Mmmmmaybe that’s one of my top embarrassing fiscal decisions considering two things:
1) My ego thinks she’s fiscally disciplined;
2) In that same week I barked at my husband for over-spending.
Yup I’m rolling in imperfection! Dang if that mantra isn’t worth repeating and recycling over [...]

renting vs buying e.g. can you still afford pet food with a mortgage? August 29, 2007

I live in downtown Washington, DC with my husband where we rent 600 square feet & love it. We long sold the car & we both walk to work (…I endure a hefty commute from the bedroom to my home studio 15′ away).
After scoping out properties with an agent - [...]

ask ask ask: your employer’s benefit’s plan August 28, 2007

I rarely reviewed medical or dental coverage plans when joining a new firm (unless you consider ‘whatevah‘ as a valid acknowledgment to such material).
Today I attend a benefits fair at my husband’s work. In preparation, I’ve been humbled to learn just how much there’s to learn on our coverage — stuff like:
What [...]

marital money mantra #2: protect what you can’t afford to lose August 26, 2007

Sweet cash kitty

We learned a lot from our own cycles of incur-credit-debt-yet-not-build-savings. We still have credit card debt (from mis-calculating last year’s tax payment); yet we’ve for the first time built a cash kitty, four months of expenses, with plans to secure one year’s worth since we function on a single steady income.
It’s [...]

join us at dc media makers tonight .8/23rd. cleveland park library August 23, 2007

Fantastic, collaborative, engaging, fun, & free.
Tonight at Cleveland Park Library, 2nd floor stacks with wifi, 6:30-8:30.
Check here for more on DC Media Makers & member projects.
Remaining meeting times this year
September: Th, 9/13, 6:30-8:30, Cleveland Park Library, 2nd fl stacks;
October: Th, 10/11, 6:30-8:30, Cleveland Park Library, 1st fl meeting room;
November: [...]

marital money mantra #1: overt & unified approach August 23, 2007

HUSBAND-WIFE ROLE PLAY:
During the first years of marriage, our conversations on spending splurges went down like this:

The husband likes books - admirably. And sure I’m addicted to eating out with friends & travel.
With books though, Sean’s a read-it-once-learn-it type of brain & is a strong visual learner. Books are his [...]

spending habits, compound investing, & ING takes on annTaylor loft August 23, 2007

The more I read & talk with planners & analyze my family’s habits — the more this proves true:
controlled spending habits can hugely mobilize one’s savings.
It ain’t nothin’ to shake a stick at.
But I love AnnTaylor LOFT!

I would do well to resist that clothing splurge & invest the cash instead.
So I just opened up my [...]

remember trinity in the matrix: how financial planners profit August 21, 2007

It’s the first Matrix movie.
We see Neo (pre-freedom) in a tech dance club with Trinity leaning over, whispering in his ear:
It’s not the answer but the question, it’s the question that drives you…
And the same the-question-must-drive-you theory applies when researching how financial planners make their money. I find it central to [...]

get tough, 10 second vid: wanting a hard arse for a financial planner August 20, 2007

Kiplinger’s annual retirement planning issue gives keen & concise interview tips for your financial planner search.
One example here re: learning their client complaints policy:

I’m meeting with different planners and comparing their advice.
I liked last week’s planner, his personality & warmth. But after considering Kiplinger’s points to consider, I wouldn’t trust him with significant [...]

QOTD, class & income, spending habits with barfy stats August 17, 2007

10 second clip:

That really made an impact on my financial thinking.
—as have articles like this re: income growth rates & class. The article talks broadly on income, class, & happiness in the US yet these stats are what got me:
According to Census figures, the average inflation-adjusted income in the top [...]