Links to some of my favorite recent articles on money and life:
Money Lessons from My Oma’s Tomatoes by Chris at From Rags to Reasonable
Stories are the best way to teach, especially when they are true, and this is a great story that teaches a valuable lesson. This article is well-written, fun to read, and has an important message for all of us to remember.
Do You Need That? by Alexandra Franzen
We get so used to the life (and the stuff) we have, we often forget to ask important questions, like, “Do I need that?” This article reminds us to ask the important questions about how we are spending our money, and our lives, before it is too late.
I Was a Personal Finance Addict by Michelle Bobrow at the Holistic Wallet Project
Ignoring money is not a good thing. It can lead to mindless spending, excess debt, and failure to prepare for the future. Almost as bad is focusing too much on money, which can lead to forgetting to live life and enjoy the present. The author of this article went from one extreme to the other and is now finding needed balance.
Adding Via Subtraction (Crazy Math) Joshua Holt at The Biglaw Investor
Spending money to eliminate irritations from your life is a quicker way to bring happiness than spending money to add more wonderful things (and the complications they often bring) to your life. That is the vital lesson of this great article.
The Best Health Savings Accounts for Spending or Investing by Ann Carrns at The New York Times
I love health savings accounts (HSAs). Health savings accounts can be used to pay for current medical expenses tax free, but as I wrote about here, the most powerful way to use HSAs is to pay for current medical expenses out of pocket and treat HSAs as a medical IRA. This offers tax advantages not available any other way. Of course, most of us can’t afford to do this, but if you can this is a great benefit. This article references a study done by Morningstar that ranks HSAs based on how you use them. If you use an HSA, or are considering opening one, this is important information to know.