a hackers guide to managing your money
When you run your own business, there’s a surprising level of trust involved. You trust that the customers who enter your store don’t slip a few items into their pocket and walk out. You trust that the person paying you with a credit card didn’t steal it from someone. You trust that the agreements you […]
Just the other day, someone read my post about how we track our net worth and asked me a really simple question – how do I track our investments? The short answer is… well, I don’t. I check my investments once a month, when I update the spreadsheet, and then I don’t really look at […]
Have you ever heard of Kasasa? Until recently, I hadn’t. But I’ve heard of similar products out there. Kasasa is financial services company based in Austin, TX, and they offer white-label banking services to small community banks and credit unions. Founded in 2003, they were originally called BancVue (doing all the same stuff) and changed […]
When I got married nearly a decade ago, my groomsmen were scattered across the country. There was only one store that had locations in all of these places and that store was Men’s Wearhouse. I visited a local Men’s Wearhouse in Maryland and learned they were rotating out their existing tuxedo lineup and replacing them […]
I went to college in 1998, the literal Stone Ages of Banking when the best banks had marble facades, massive branches, and big minimum balance requirements. My bank of choices was PNC Bank, one of the largest in the western Pennsylvania region, and I chose it because they had ATMs in our student union. That […]
When I was a teenager, I lost my wallet for the first, and thankfully last, time. Fortunately for me, I didn’t have much in it except a few dollars and my high school identification card. Even that loss felt like a monumental pain in the butt but I can’t imagine what it would be like […]
I’m an independent shopper. If I need something, I like going into the store, getting it, paying for it, and leaving. Online shopping is perfect for me because I don’t have to drive anywhere, wait in line to pay, and then drive home. Which means one thing — I really do not like going into […]
Before I knew anything about investing, I was enamored with stock certificates. I thought they looked beautiful because they looked like college degrees made to look like money. My dad always had his degree certificates up on the wall in his office but they looked so austere. These stock certificates looked gaudy. They were fantastic. […]
My first bank account wasn’t at a bank. It was at a credit union. At the tender age of 16, my mom and I walked into a branch of the Teachers Federal Credit Union and opened up a joint account. They printed out a little card, laminated it, and handed it to me. I stuck […]
An engagement ring is a big step. It’s also a big purchase. Maybe you have enough cash on hand if you tap into your emergency fund. Maybe you don’t. There’s no arguing that when you buy an engagement ring, diamond or otherwise, it’s best to pay cash. If that isn’t you, or at least not […]