Money Management for Piles of Money

You might think it’s not worth trying to manage your money if you only have small amounts, but in reality,  you can’t manage large piles of money until you are able to manage SMALL piles of money.  I know some people might think this is self-evident, but this statement reminded me of how getting serious…

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Why I Picked Up Hitch Hikers

About three years ago, I attended a conference in Maui.  It was held in Hana, so I rented a car (SUV actually) and drove the world-famous Road to Hana with its 600 curves and more than 60 one-lane bridges.  Although Hana is only 52 miles away from the airport, we’re still talking about a 2…

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Kicking The Habit

In a previous post, I talked a little bit about my past Starbucks habit in the context of refining your budget and identifying blind spots for yourselves. Someone asked me, did I in fact break the Starbucks habit, and if so, how? Multiple Issues To Address I did! And it’s a good one, because I…

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My Personal Budgeting Anecdote

I used to have a coffee habit – I know, shocking, considering I live in Seattle! I used to have a fancy coffee drink once a day, sometimes twice a day. I was never spending fewer than $5 per day on coffee. It’s a misconception that all financial advisors know how to set up and…

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The Anti Gift Giving Holiday Season

Switching focus from gift giving to others to giving to yourself, is the best way to feel some relaxation and peace during the holiday season. You may think others might feel neglected, when in fact, they will feel more peace and happiness as well. My Family History of Not Giving For the past several years,…

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Why You Need Mint

No, you don’t have bad breath . . . this is the kind of Mint that helps you track your spending, a FREE online tool that’s been helping the spend-conscious for close to 11 years now and owned by Intuit. Before Mint, your only options were keeping a self-generated tracking report in excel or using Quicken.  We…

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My Broken Ankle

(previously published Tuesday, January 6, 2009 – right after the whole experience! ) This has absolutely nothing to do with financial planning; I just wanted to get the full story out on my recent mishap. The first weekend in December I was pet/house sitting overnight for a very good friend. She has four cats and…

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