How the Rich Get Rich

Much has been written about how to get rich, and this pattern will likely persist until the end of the human race. Some of the books and articles are worth your time; many aren't. The ones that are worthwhile, however, tend to be less earth-shattering than we expect.

Don't Tread On Me! Why the retirement crisis isn't going away

Don't Tread On Me!

Why the Retirement Crisis Isn't Going Away

A recent article published by The Atlantic left me steaming mad!

http://ralphseverson.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Man-Steaming-Mad.jpg

Here's why:

Save money like this rapper

Think all rappers boast about wasting money on overpriced luxury goods? Think again!

In case you haven't heard this song or seen the music video, comedic rapper Lil Dicky boasts instead about how he saves money on everything from laundry to parking to haircuts to toilet paper. The music video for the song was even filmed for (reportedly) no money! The jury's still out on whether the production was free, though...

Tight Ends and Tight Wallets (or, NFL football is back!)

Frugality isn't just for the poor!

Secrets of success: Develop your grit like a SEAL

Secrets of success

Develop your grit like a Navy SEAL

I've posted about grit as the key to success before. The nice thing about grit is that you can increase it through practice! If you want to be successful, you'll need a good helping of grit-so it's helpful to start practicing now!

Picture courtesy Navy SEAL website:

http://www.sealswcc.com/slideshow/albums/album-257722/lg/SWCC-photo-socr-sb22-0155.JPG

The value of $100 in every U.S. state

I thought this was interesting.

How does your state stack up? Are you getting ripped off based on where you live?

Source: http://www.epictimes.com/2015/07/a-map-of-the-value-of-100-in-every-state-in-america/

Obviously, this can vary greatly based on your area in each state (cities have a higher cost of living than rural areas, for example). Pretty much any statewide cost-of-living evaluation is therefore useless. But it's a fun exercise, anyway!

Guest post: How to Eat for Less in College

I'm excited to announce that I've authored a guest post on Dealspotr about how to eat for less in college!

Grad Student Blues: How I live on less than $10,000 per year

Grad Student Blues 

How I live on less than $10,000 per year

Arbitration agreement? Run away...

Useful advice from Steve Lehto, a consumer attorney and car buff who often contributes helpful advice to prospective car buyers on Jalopnik. This man seems to have a lot of sense, judging by the many articles I've read by him.

Here's why arbitration tends not to work as well in practice as it does in theory:

http://carbuying.jalopnik.com/avoid-getting-screwed-by-the-arbitration-trap-1703849839

Is Playing the Lottery Just Cheap Entertainment?

In a brief bit of research into playing the lottery, I saw numerous comments to the effect of, "It's only a couple dollars, and it's cheap entertainment--I dream about what I'd do with the money if I won the jackpot. It may even start a conversation with family members about what they'd do!"

from a pretty good Psychology Today article here: 

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/affluence-intelligence/201203/lottery-itis

This left me incredulous and little ticked off, though it took me a moment to understand why. Soon enough, I figured out why that is one of the stupidest justifications I've ever heard!

Here's my explanation...You ready? Here goes: