If you look carefully around the web, you’ll read scores of articles about the desire to retire early.  Yours truly wishes to finish up no later than 45, as I believe working for 20 or so years is a long enough time.  I’ve done the math with various living and return scenarios and it can [...]

Congratulations to the Democrats for passing a smaller, less corrupt version of Obama’s health care plan to cover the 30 million+ Americans who are uninsured.  I’ve read numerous articles about the pros and cons of this plan, and I still can’t figure it all out.  An Associated Press article writes, “Obama practically needs a spreadsheet [...]

The luckiest people on earth are those who don’t make a lot of money.  They’ve got very little downside and can really pursue their childhood dreams.  Imagine if from the moment you graduated college, you landed a plum corporate job that paid just enough to keep you motivated, but not enough to enjoy your freedom.  [...]

There’s a fun hypothesis saying that you are the average of the closest five people around you.  I believe this to be true, do you?  What’s interesting about the blogosphere community is that anybody with enough intention can start a website.  Some are interesting, some are not, but regardless we can all compete with the ProBloggers [...]

If I read one more biased article pushing people to convert to a ROTH IRA I’m going to lose it!  Not to be melodramatic or anything, but the lack of unbiased analysis is like seeing a sea of zombies instructed to walk off a cliff. Wake up zombies, wake up!  Don’t make a decision without [...]

With great pleasure, I announce the launch of The Samurai Fund! Thesis: Through random selection based solely off permutations of reader’s names (personal or site title), we are able to create a long-only mutual fund that will outperform the S&P 500 index! Fund Details: $1,672,003 billion launch, $100/share NAV, with 17 positions equally weighted.  Concentrated [...]

Raging against the machine is in my nature.  It annoys me to no end when I read about injustices such as government raises during our recent implosion.  I once skipped a morning of work to demonstrate against an apparel company which used racist slogans.  Up yours Abercrombie!  As I age, I’m discovering a more peaceful [...]

People have been freaking out lately by a weak US dollar.  I’m here to tell you it doesn’t really matter.  Did you know that 60% of Americans have never left the country and less than 25% of Americans own passports?  Most of the 40% who leave come back, so it’s only a temporary amount of [...]

Unless you’re perfect, there will be times when things don’t go your way.  You’re last to be picked in PE class, Yale says, “thank you, but no thank you”, and your girlfriend/boyfriend dumps you for another man/woman.  Do you start sulking?  Or do you get up, get angry, and prove to yourself you’re worth it? [...]

For some reason, I generally get stuck in a middle seat close to the bathroom every time I go on a business trip.  It’s probably because I leave so little time between take off and check-in that I usually end up screwed! The worst is when you’re just about to fall asleep and you get [...]

Can someone please give us a rational argument why implementing a Flat Tax system in America is not fair?  We don’t know if we can continue posting without thoroughly understanding this issue first.  From a percentage basis, each person pays an equal amount of their income towards taxes, and from an absolute basis, richer people [...]

When we first bought our $1,200 HDTV six years ago, we told ourselves never to go to the movies again until we watched enough DVDs to pay for the purchase.  Every time we went to the movies, we’d have to pay on average $20 for tickets.  A promise was made that only after we watched [...]

There is current controversy stirring because a British Conservationist believes we should let pandas go extinct and “put them out of their misery” because they are “stupid” and possess poor survival skills.  My question is, if the Panda looked like Golem from Lord of The Rings, would there still be an uproar?  The Black Rhino [...]

Someone once said, “nothing is certain except pressing the reply all button by mistake and taxes.” How true the saying as we face rising taxes under the new administration.  Supposedly 32% of Americans filers pay ZERO TAXES!  I doubt this statistic sits well with the other 68% of files who pay taxes.   I also [...]

Back in the last downturn from 2001-2003 I had incredible back pain. I couldn’t sit for very long, and my legs were going numb. Doctors told me I had sciatica, a pinched nerve down my spine that spread to the tips of my toes. Even the process of driving wore me out so I decided [...]