Hiyo heyo!
Sitting here with my son this morning as he inexplicably has the day off from school, so rather than regale you with another fiscally fascinating tale of finance, I shall present to you the following two things in its stead:
- A picture of Perry the Platypus, courtesy of this same son who wanted to “make art” while I “make words” (Success!)
- My favorite articles from the month courtesy of The Internets, and which only requires 10% of my brain this morning hopefully leaving me with enough to make it through the day ;)
But I will say – some of these really forced me to slow down and reflect over the weeks, so I’m excited to share them with you today in hopes they inspire you as well.
If you missed the collection from last month, you can check those out here.
Blessed weekend, everyone!
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How to Inscribe a Book by The Distilled Man — “Do you ever pull a book off your shelf, crack it open, and find an old inscription written by the person who gave it to you?… Giving someone a book with a personalized message written inside is one of the most thoughtful gifts you can give.”
A Love Letter from a Dead Man and a Net Worth Update by Physician on Fire — “I suggest everyone reading this article create something similar for a loved one if you pass. This simple exercise highlighted my mortality. I have hugged and kissed my wife and children a lot since I started working on this piece. I noticed I take too many things for granted until I had to contemplate their absence. Hopefully, this index card is useful in one hundred years.”
Consumption Spirals by Paul Jarvis — “I’d rather be happy with what I’ve got than think I’ll only be happy when I buy what I desire. Think about it: it feels better to be happy presently than hopefully happy later.”
Inside the Financial Gym, where trainers offer you wine and Kleenex as they strip you ‘financially naked’ and analyze your money issues by Business Insider — “People were constantly coming up to me who didn’t have $250,000 in assets and asking, ‘Hey, can you help me with my money?’… I realized that they wanted to talk to someone about how to manage their money. They wanted to go to a place. And I realized that most people don’t have a place that exists where they can talk about their finances.”
(Shannon is the same person behind the $$$ blog, Financially-Blonde.com, and the podcast Martinis and Your Money btw :) Check out the pictures throughout this article – there’s even a MONEY BAR at this “gym” – Brilliant!!)
Saving Is Sexy @ Humble Dollar — “The Olson and Rick paper grew out of a series of experiments, which found that savers, both men and women, were viewed as more desirable romantic partners, because they’re perceived to have greater self-control… [But] while good savings habits may help you find a long-term partner, it may not help if you’re hoping for a short-term fling… Those who toss their money around may be viewed as more fun and exciting, and hence a better choice for a one-night stand.”
Meet The Instagrammer Using Her Influence to Inspire People to Leave a Legacy of Impact @ Charity Charge — “I got to the point where I wasn’t sure what was scarier; having cancer or dying without leaving a legacy in this world. ” (The company attached to this blog btw is from a new credit card out there which applies all your rewards to the charity of your choice! Pretty cool idea!)
Absolute Budget Excel Spreadsheet Version 2 is now available to download for free! from Hayes over at the Absolute Budget blog. In case anyone’s still looking for the “right” budget template :) Here’s a screenshot of part of it:
Why You Should Write an Acknowledgements Section For Your Life by A Life of Productivity — “Acknowledgements sections usually exist only in books (and maybe in speeches at weddings). What would yours look like if you had to write one for your life?”
A Growing Cult of Millennials Is Obsessed With Early Retirement. This 72-Year-Old Is Their Unlikely Inspiration by Money Magazine. (Which our Blog Directory may or may not be featured in (!!!)) — “Vicki Robin had no idea she’d become a millennial icon. The 72-year-old coauthor of the 1992 bestseller Your Money or Your Life was recuperating from a hip replacement early last year when a young man she’d met at a sustainability event months prior told her she was popular on a Reddit forum about financial independence. At the time, she was confined to the pullout couch of her Whidbey Island, Wash., living room, with its view of the Cascade Mountains and Puget Sound. So she had plenty of time to explore the online community where, to her surprise, she discovered she was something of a celebrity.”
And lastly, a scary video on the future of technology –> “HYPER-REALITY” by Keiichi Matsuda — “Hyper-Reality presents a provocative and kaleidoscopic new vision of the future, where physical and virtual realities have merged, and the city is saturated in media.”
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Hope you find something good :)
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For more articles like these, check out last month’s collection here, or our round up of the best Budgets Are Sexy blog posts from 2017 here.
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I love when you read a fellow bloggers article, and it hits you hard to the point where you reflect their words on your own life. Constant learning process!
Thanks for sharing these J., I look forward to reading them when I get to work!
Nice! Getting paid to read blogs – doesn’t get much better than that ;)
That augmented reality video was insane. I wonder how long it took him to make it! Felt like everything was actually real.
It was a bit odd at first because it looked like a Japanese arcade, but everyone was speaking Spanish! Glad to see Medellin featured. Looks like an awesome town.
He has 2 more videos that deal with augmented reality. Pretty cool guy!
Thanks for the roundup J$!
Agree – eerily real! The part on the bus when you saw everyone sitting there like zombies and moving their fingers in the air because they were all attached too was just insane… I really hope it’s not like this later :(
I love this list! Which ones did you like the most?
The book one up top, for sure :) I’m obsessed with reading *physical* books, and just love the idea of giving them as gifts and inscribing special notes on the inside… It’s the best coming across them decades later too at used book stores and seeing that history into two peoples’ lives. Always makes you wonder what they’re up to now, or if they’re still alive? (Or if they actually read the book! Haha…)
Gotta love that “cult of millennials” article! Are millennials basically anyone aged 20 to 50?
I think Millenials are anyone born between 1980 and 2000
I was instantly drawn to the financial gym article. “Kleenex” and “Wine” makes absolute sense in this scenario. I know I would definitely need the “Kleenex” – I do hope its the generic brand cause it costs less and I wouldn’t feel guilty about needing/taking it all when I start to undress myself financially. The wine helps with that as well…its easier to get “naked” when your drunk for sure.
I think what would go really well with this intervention pair are professional “huggers” – you know someone to hold you while you get financially vulnerable.
HAH! I will pass your note over to her and see what we can do about that ;)
From Shannon: “You can tell him my trainers actually tell all their clients “we’re huggers here” and we’re giving out lots of hugs with the wine and definitely off brand Kleenex “
Wow lots of great quote around here. I usually just skim through the articles and don’t keep track of what I read.
I think I stumbled upon an article about how millennial are obsessed with the FIRE cult the other day and thought the title was kinda funny :D
I sometimes ponder, “what would be my legacy and how do I want to be remembered when I am gone?” furthermore, if I want to leave something for my kids, do I want to leave them money or financial knowledge to help them to potentially earn more money? So much to think about with all these posts.
Yup! But all GOOD things to be consumed about vs the day to day nonsense we get so caught up in :)
People should inscribe books as an investment for when they’re famous. You can gift them to people in your life and see who puts it on eBay – then you’ll know who your real friends are.
Haha…. I’ll be sure to send you my first book when it’s out ;)
These are all great! My favorites are the book inscription and the budget. I found a book inscription in a book of my Dad’s about me a few years after he passed away. It was really meaningful.
Yess!!! Love that!!! Need to get on this lots for my own kids for sure – it’s a lost art.
Thank you for the feature, J$!
I hope my future is never hyper-real. The only thing I need to augment my world is a good beer. If a walk around town starts looking more like a video game, I’m hiding in the woods.
Cheers!
-PoF
And I will be hiding there with you!! (But only if you bring me a beer too ;))
Awesome resources J!
I’ll deffintiely check them out later today. I’ve hear of the book “Your Money Your Life” for a while , I think it’s time to give this book a read. The fact that it was a best seller on my birth year is a strong sign ? Haha
Thanks for sharing J.
Have an awesome week! Friday fever is here.
Yes! Do it! People are obssessed with it, even before it exploded on the internets :)
J $, I appreciate your post today! Have a great weekend with the family!
Yeah man – no problem! Thanks for sharing your budget with everyone – people are always looking for good new ones to try out!
Great round up of reading J.Money and I enjoyed the one from Paul Jarvis
Have a great weekend
I’m glad man! thanks for letting me know :)
Just wanted to say I legit thought Perry the Platypus was Appa from Last Airbender.
hah! just looked that guy up :)
Consumption Spirals reminds me of Tyler Durden in Fight Club: “Advertising has us chasing cars and clothes, working jobs we hate so we can buy **** we don’t need….We’re consumers. We are bi-products of a lifestyle obsession. Murder, crime, poverty, these things don’t concern me. What concerns me are celebrity magazines, television with 500 channels, some guy’s name on my underwear.”
And THE best line: “The things you own end up owning you.”
Pretty much, yup! That underwear part is my favorite, haha… too funny, and true!!
I have no doubt that’s what the future will be like. It’s like the future of Google Glasses – we’re all seeing holographic screens in front of our eyes like Ironman.
Great list! Glad to see our buddy Absolute Budget made this list with his sick spreadsheets. Thanks for sharing all the great reads. =)
-Andrew (aka Wallet Squirrel)
Oh nice – do you use it too? I still rock my old one, but love seeing how others manage their money in their lives… Always something you can glean from them :)