Bodies are packed wall-to-wall, noise reverberates off the walls. Fists pump in the air as lights flash. Where are we? We are at the imaginary Wall Street, the media-hyped center of buying-and-trading. However, this old school idea of investing– the shouting people, frantic hustle, slew of papers– perpetuates several myths that discourage people from managing […]
3 Steps to Decide Where to Live
We don’t get to choose where we are born. We don’t have a say where we spend our childhood. We make memories in our small corners of the world, our home chooses us. However, in adulthood, we get to choose our home. How does one decide where to live?
“I am not a math person,” and other lies we tell ourselves
I cringe every time someone says, “I am not a math person.” You are many things, and one of them is a math person. You are an artistic person, a creative person, a dancing person, because you are human. The surest way to hamstring your growth as a human being is to peg yourself into […]
How to Save For Joy: Drop Your Inner Money-Miser
Cheapskate. Miser. Scrooge. These words describe people with an unhealthy relationship with money and often other people. Frugal people often walk this line– how can we be mindful money managers without being misers? The distinction got me thinking about the balancing act between the future and now, saving and spending, and the relationships we have […]
7 Tips for Negotiating – How I Doubled My Salary in Two Years
Negotiating your salary is the biggest opportunity to control your compensation. Raises tend to hover around 2–3% of your base salary, whereas negotiating at the beginning will generally yield a 10–30% pay increase. Though it might be uncomfortable, in the end you risk very little, as offers are generally extended with wiggle room for negotiation. […]
Credit Cards: Good or EVIL?
“John is really into personal finance,” my friend told me as the three of us sat eating lunch around the blue metal table. “He has eleven credit cards.” I was confused for a second, having eleven credit cards didn’t sound like someone who is good with money. He clarified that he got them for the […]
Don’t Let Lifestyle Inflation Carry You Away
Lifestyle inflation is like an insidious bug, eating away at the edges of your budget, chirrupping “you can afford it!” Before you know it the bug scuttles away, clutching your nest egg and laughing as maniacally as a bug can laugh. Seriously though, humans are crazy quick to adapt. Give us more money, we find […]
The Lie of the Sale is No Small Potatoes
When I was seven I loved Jackie Chan. I watched the show avidly, loving the idea of powers bestowed by an animal, the elaborate fight scenes and dramatic storylines. When I was eight, I was so over Jackie Chan. My dad found some sneakers at Payless that were half off. They had a Jackie Chan […]
Don’t Wait, Automate!
You got a promotion at work, you started side hustling, you got your tax return and you’re ready to celebrate! You pop the champagne, head out for a meal, and treat yo’ self. Besides, you can afford it now, right? It’s easy to turn over our pockets at the end of the month and wonder […]