Friday, September 25, 2020

Bittersweet Symphony

 
On the way home from work yesterday, The Verve’s “Bittersweet Symphony” blasted out over my car speakers. I forgot I had added it to my playlist.

In case you’re not familiar, the song has a very melancholy feel. It’s quite catchy, but the lyrics and vocal delivery are both melancholy…wistful…basically, it’s like it was written and sung by somebody who’s weary with the drudgery of everyday life.

The first line begins, “Cause it’s a bittersweet symphony, this life / Trying to make ends meet, you’re a slave to money then you die.”

Like I said, melancholy.

But relevant, given that this is a personal finance blog.

Thursday, September 17, 2020

Links for September 2020

Link roundup September 2020

Are we still in a recession from COVID?
https://earlyretirementnow.com/2020/08/25/the-shortest-recession-ever-my-thoughts-on-the-state-of-the-economy/

A timely topic:
https://debtfreeguys.com/racism-and-personal-finance/

What's the difference between being 'rich' and being 'wealthy?'
https://www.personalfinanceforbeginners.com/rich-vs-wealthy/

Best current laptop deals, especially for students and bloggers:
    ASUS Vivobook F512DA; $515 on Amazon (reg. $679 for this version)
    

ASUS Vivobook F512DA, a great laptop for students and bloggers

    
Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14-inch; $450 on Amazon 

Lenovo IdeaPad 3, a great laptop for students and bloggers

Here's a very good question, with no easy or universal answer:
https://retirementresearcher.com/how-much-should-we-depend-on-the-stock-market/

I've planned to make a post on this myself. Drat! I've been scooped!
https://www.inspiretofire.com/hedonic-treadmill/

An outstanding explanation of why the historic CAPE ratio is not necessarily a good guide for the future:
https://thereformedbroker.com/2014/01/12/leaving-cape-town/

Jose and Tatiana from CrucialWealth were featured on MarketWatch:
https://www.marketwatch.com/story/this-couple-is-one-year-away-from-having-enough-money-to-retire-early-heres-what-they-did-2019-04-01

An outstanding series from LivingAFI:
Pt. 1 https://livingafi.com/2014/05/09/drawdown-part-1-the-basics/
Pt. 2 https://livingafi.com/2014/05/12/drawdown-part-2-simulation/
Pt. 3 https://livingafi.com/2014/05/18/drawdown-part-3-strategy/
Pt. 4 https://livingafi.com/2014/05/28/drawdown-part-4-examples/
Pt. 5 https://livingafi.com/2014/06/03/drawdown-part-5-validation/


Somebody who worked for Lehman Brothers was smart enough to start saving at 23, and saving by choice worked out well for him during economic downswings.
     Did you get a later start than he did? He says, 'that's fine, just start now, and choose to live with an austere budget.' Good advice:
https://www.marketwatch.com/story/have-nothing-saved-for-retirement-follow-the-austerity-solution-2019-03-29?mod=article_inline

What should you be afraid of in retirement? Wade Pfau spells it out:
https://retirementresearcher.com/inflation-deflation-confiscation-devastation-the-four-horsemen-of-risk/

Worried about required minimum distributions (RMDs)?
https://www.marketwatch.com/story/these-rmds-are-driving-me-crazy-what-are-my-options-2019-03-27?mod=article_inline