the tools you need to be set free
I like to think I’m good with money and saving, but I know I’m bad at budgeting, which is the #1 rule of finance: know where your money is going! So part of this blog will be to keep track of monthly expenditures. I’m hoping I will find some patterns and areas where I can […]
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. […]
I am two weeks into a new job and I declare them the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad weeks. First off, in my last week working for my old company I started getting really itchy eyes and a runny nose—figured I must have picked up some allergies in adulthood. I said goodbye to coworkers, […]
“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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
We were all sitting around the table, steaming dishes heaped full of rice and water buffalo. I was slowly eating through the pieces of liver on my plate, a delicacy reserved for important guests, so I was trying not to offend my host by gagging. “What are your plans,” she asked us, and we told […]
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 […]
I think most of us have our first car near and dear to our hearts. I was lucky to be able to drive my family’s Mitsubishi Expo during the later years of college. Talk about glamour. Prestige. My friends loved it or hated it, loved it because if you sat in the front seat it […]
“Hi Mechanic,” my friend’s voice played over the voicemail, “I am going to Japan for six months, and was wondering if you had any advice on how to handle finances while abroad,” My heart beat faster, excitement coursing through me. Three of my favorite things: Travel, finance, and giving actually solicited advice! Is this real […]