Micawber’s Favorites – October 14, 2017

Links to some of my favorite recent articles on money and life:

What My Immigrant Mom Can Teach You About Money by The Luxe Strategist

There is definitely a lot here for all of us to learn, but the main thing I got out of it is increased gratitude to live in a free country that provides opportunities to grow and improve.

Using the Rule of 300 to Estimate How Much Money You Need to Retire by The Investor at Monevator

If you don’t plan on retiring for decades it is pointless to spend a lot of time figuring out how much you will need in order to maintain your current lifestyle. Too much can change in that amount of time. However, it is important to have a ballpark figure to shoot for. This article describes an incredibly simple method that controls for the effects of inflation and taxes and gives you a close enough answer to set goals and start the planning process.

36 Obvious Investment Truths by Ben Carlson at Wealth of Common Sense

There is a lot of wisdom packed into this list of investment truths that aren’t necessarily obvious to everyone, but should be. My favorite is #20: “Proper diversification means always having to say you’re sorry about part of your portfolio.” In other words, if you are doing things right, at least one of your investments will almost always be underperforming. What is your favorite?

The Parable of the Talents by Tim Kim at Tub of Cash

I have always loved the parable of the talents in the New Testament. This is an interesting take on some of the many lessons you can learn from this great parable. For further reading, here is a post I wrote over three years ago on the parable of the talents.

The Optionality Trap by Neil Soni

In financial terms the definition of an option is “a financial instrument that gives the holder the right to do something without the obligation of doing it.” This article is more about options in life than money. Are you better off keeping your options open or committing to a certain course of action? There are times when each of these is the best strategy, and one of the keys to success is knowing when to use options and when to commit. This article will give you some interesting insights on how to decide.  

  2 comments for “Micawber’s Favorites – October 14, 2017

  1. October 15, 2017 at 12:06 pm

    Hiya, and thanks for linking to my post! You hit the nail on the head for what I was trying to convey. There are so many things to be grateful for here in the US, and I wished more of us would just realize it.

    • Brent Esplin
      October 15, 2017 at 12:58 pm

      Thanks for the note, and for writing such a great post. You have a great mom and I learned a lot. Keep up the good work.

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