Links to some of my favorite recent articles on money and life:
What Do You Spend Money on That Always Feels Worth It by Adam Jusko at Proud Money
People who write about personal finance have the reputation, sometimes deserved, of being cheapskates. The most common advice given is to spend less money. But that is not the ultimate goal. The real goal is to spend less money on things that aren’t important so you have more money to spend on things that are important. This article, which asks what purchases you never regret, is a great reminder of this. For me, I never regret spending money on activities that bring our family together. What is it for you? Gaining control over your money will ensure that the money will be there for the really important things.
Why the Term “Starter Home” Should Bother You by Lauren Greutman
We have been in our “starter home” for 25+ years now. It is not our dream home, but it has been a great home to raise our family in, and not moving up has undoubtedly paid off for us financially. Last year we thought seriously about moving but after a lot of prayer felt that we should stay and remodel instead. This is a great article about a family that had a similar experience.
The Clutter In Your Home Used to Be Money at Retire Before Dad
This is one of the better titles I have read recently, and the article is great too. The title alone is enough to make me think twice before purchasing future clutter.
Pop Quiz Hot Shot: 10 “Speedy” Money Questions to Answer Now by James at Sufficient Fundz
Do you know what the difference is between a hard quiz and an easy quiz? You know the answers on an easy quiz. The first step in rewriting your financial story is knowing where you are right now. Here are 10 great questions to get you started. Hopefully this is an easy quiz. If it isn’t, your homework assignment is to find the answers.
Why the Dow Isn’t Really the Stock Market by Jeff Sommer of The New York Times
The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) is the oldest, most often quoted, and best-known measurement of the stock market. However, it is far from the best measurement of overall market performance. In fact, it’s a really lousy method. This article does a great job of explaining some of the problems with the Dow and offers some alternatives that measure overall market performance much better.