Hey Hey!
Been doing a lot of good reading lately while caring for the new babe, and below are some of the more interesting articles from the batch :)
Hope they help tide you over during the long Memorial weekend! Be sure to scan the bottom links too for some of the juicier gossip I also came across!
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“Bunks” via Debt Files — Great long form article around a true – and inspiring – story! I’d be shocked if you don’t have a smile by the end of it :) // “When most kids had a comb in their pocket, or maybe an empty wallet and some coins, Bunks had a small notepad and a pencil. The notepads were always mangled and worn, and his tiny scribbles seemed to cover every last corner of each page…”
Japan’s Rent-a-Family Industry via The New Yorker — This one is pretty wild –> “People who are short on relatives can hire a husband, a mother, a grandson. The resulting relationships can be more real than you’d expect.”
A Dollar That Experiences an Investment Loss is Still Worth More Than a Dollar Spent via Four Pillar Freedom — “If you have a dollar in your pocket and buy something with it, that dollar is gone forever. It has a value of $0 to you. If instead you choose to invest that dollar in the stock market, you’re technically putting it “at risk”, meaning it could increase or decrease in value over the short-term… But even during the worst year in option (2), where your dollar dropped in value to 64 cents, that’s still 64 cents more than if you had chosen option (1).”
The “Trade Up” Game Continues! via Coin Thrill — Okay, so I’m being sneaky and inserting one of my own articles in here, but I’m just so excited about it!!! Our Trade-Up game got a big boost this month when Erik from TheMasterMindWithin.com gave us a $50.00 bill in exchange for a silver Panda coin :) And everyone loves money, so hoping to turn this $50 into a coin worth at least double! Anyone have something old and valuable in their attic they’d like to ship over??? Haha… I’ll make you famous for a day and add you/your blog to the site! ;)
Nassim Nicholas Taleb Has Never Borrowed a Cent in His Life via Esquire — “I have never, ever borrowed a penny. So I have zero credit record. No loans, no mortgage, nothing. Ever. When I had no money, I rented. I have an allergy to borrowing and a scorn for people who are in debt, and I don’t hide it. I follow the Romans’ attitude that debtors are not free people.”
Reps for Recovery via GoFundMe — The original article on this is now gone, but that link takes you directly to her profile and story page which is based on this snippet I saved before the article went down… People are so amazing!! // “On May 28, 2013, Krissy Mae Cagney woke up in a hospital bed. The doctors told her that she had symptoms typical of a middle-aged alcoholic. She was just 24. If she didn’t turn her life around, her body would give up on her. That day, Krissy made the decision to finally get sober. And five years later, she’s helping hundreds of recovering addicts do the same—one deadlift at a time.”
House Shaming Has Got To Stop via The Globe and Mail — Our article got picked up and expounded upon!! The movement is happening!!! ;) // “What you may not realize is that there’s a small but growing segment of the population, mainly millennials, who are going to be lifelong renters, either by choice or necessity. The house shamer views home ownership as a path for raising a family, indulging your inner designer with renovation projects and building enough equity to fill a Brink’s truck. The renter sees owning a home as unaffordable, as a financial sinkhole or both.”
[Tedx Talk] When money isn’t real: the $10,000 experiment via Adam Carroll — My favorite video of the month! So interesting! // “Adam Carroll talks about his $10,000 Monopoly game with his kids and how to teach finance management in a cashless society.”
And in “did you know?” news…
Did you know… Consumerist.com shut down??? In October of last year actually – ack! Another OG $$$ blog bites the dust!
Did you know… J. Money is an ENFP on the Myer’s Briggs scale? :) You can find out yours, as well as what a lot of other $$$ bloggers are too by clicking that link put together by MySonsFather.com
Did you know…. there’s actually a Mortgage Payoff Club? A reader of this blog launched it a ways back and looks like a great way to stay accounted for and motivated :)
Did you know…. If you live in Virginia and been waiting to start a 529, you should do it THIS WEEK so you can get a free $50 when you fund a new account with $50? :) <– Click the link for further details (I ❤ you so much VA!!!)
Happy Memorial weekend, everyone!
Remember: Freedom > Money > Stuff!!
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Past roundups if you’re itching for more:
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I should have known you were an ENFP :) MSF has put together an interesting list. Have a great Memorial Day Weekend!
Well now don’t leave us hanging – what are you?? :)
Didn’t know about the $50 529 deal for Virginia residents!!!
I have been trying like h*** to get my sister to open one up for her 6 year old daughter for years! She saves money for her college every year, but she let’s it sit in a regular bank account earning 0.03% interest…….
Sounds like she needs an early birthday present of a new account opening from her brother!
Glad to see some Canuck action (G&M) picked up on the House Shaming problem; you made the sphere a better place J. / and thank so much for including Bunks in your reads
I don’t think I’ll be forgetting Bunks for quite some time. You had a good friend there growing up :)
I knew you were an ENFP. We are easy to spot in the wild.
XOXO
In Canada, I heard of rent a husband before as there seems to be a market for handy work. There are single females looking for a husband (or married women look to upgrade their husbands) that will actually do the handyman work around the house. Now renting another extended family member is definitely new to me.
If you decided to stop at kid number three and you want a little princess to spoil, you may have to rent one .
Haha… My wife says that unless men are finally able to give birth she is done carrying them, so that may need to be an option ;)
Last year I paid a landscaping company $800.00 to do my edging and mulch. This year i did it myself for $283.00 (materials) and free labor (my body.) That being said, I’m too tired to read the articles today, but that’s a really cool drawing of the boy at the table. Wishing you and your (new) family a lovely weekend and a moment to reflect upon our fallen brothers.
Your time was probably better used with the landscaping, so I’ll give you a pass today :)
Japan has an alarming rate of elderly people who are dying by themselves, because the population is dropping so much. Many schools are closing, also.
Ack freaky!
Apparently I, too, am an ENFP-A. No wonder I like you.
Heyo!!
I look at that panda coin every day :) I love it. Thanks for trading!!
Congrats on the new baby!
You and Gwen are next ;)
Maryland also matches $250 dollars plus you could take advantage of that stat tax deduction. There is an income limit but its pretty high.
https://maryland529.com/MDMatch250
Ahhh very cool!! Looks like we don’t qualify for it, but it’s literally on my list this month to grab a MD 529 account for our newest one :) Sat down to do it yesterday but we don’t even have his social security # yet – hah!
Haha the ENFP definitely makes sense!!
Thanks for the mention J$, I really appreciate it!
Thanks for the fun diversion this week :)
It was fun to take the personality test again. My class had this professionally assessed for us back in college, and I am an INTJ. What I didn’t realize was that female INTJ’s make up .8% of the population. That explains a lot. :-( Thank you for sharing these links today. I hope you are able to sneak in some naps here and there during these first few weeks.
Oh wow – only .8%? You’re a special snowflake! :)
Thanks for the shoutout for the Mortgage Payoff Club. It’s so awesome that we’ve already had two members pay it off! :) Really inspiring.
Very cool!!!