When I was in the midst of trying to figure out a way out of my financial situation of living beyond my means, burdened with debt, no savings, no flexibility to do what I really wanted….Henry David Thoreau’s Walden Pond came to the rescue. I knew I was in a bit of a jam…. I […]
Paying off more debt with crypto gains
When I got divorced this past spring, there was still some debt that remained….$15,258 that was on a credit card. Specifically, this was the overdraft from our joint checking account. It seemed like on average, each month, more money was spent than was earned. We weren’t profligate spenders, but clearly, this is a sign that […]
Thank you Shopify (SHOP) – for leaving me in the dust
This is a painful story. Makes me a little sick to share it, but it’s for a good cause…yours and mine. Prior to 2017, I considered myself a trader – with mixed success. Sure, I had some big winners, but I also had some big losers. And in some cases, I just held onto a […]
Should I panic because the NASDAQ is getting clobbered?
Since February 2021, the NASDAQ has been getting clobbered. Expanding that image shows the full extent of the volatility. Since hitting an all-time high in February, the months of the steady upwards climb from April 2020 are over for now. My core holdings have declined from that all time high, but I’m still holding. [NOTE] […]
My One Thing – How getting up early has changed my life
Have any of you ever heard about the book called “The One Thing“? The basic theme is that by taking action and focusing on just one single thing each day, you start a domino effect that leads to major progress…in any area that you a seeking to make improvements. After I read the book, I […]
Swimming in the sewer – Finding great low cap, low priced stocks
I would imagine it’s dangerous and scary to lower yourself into the sewer. I certainly know I wouldn’t want to go down there. When it comes to investing in low priced and low market capitalization stocks, you are essentially lowering yourself into the sewer. It is worth it to find “hidden gems”, but you have […]
I finally paid off my credit card after only 18 years
First of all…I can’t believe I had a credit card for that long. What I really can’t fathom though is that for all of those 18 years, this card always had a balance. And that balance wasn’t always insignificant! There were times when it was over $15,000. The annual percentage rate (APR) had been around […]
Tips for Investing with small accounts
We all have to start somewhere. Unless we are gifted a ton of money…most of us have to start saving and investing with a small account. The focus of my story here on this blog is how I needed to setup and grow taxable savings and investment from nothing. I had no cash savings. I […]
Margin of Safety – The Castle Protecting Your Investment
Imagine owning an investment that is so solid, that under almost any situation the the market throws at it…your position is a strong one. It’s unassailable. You can ignore most of the vicissitudes of the market. Ignore fluctuations that keep others up at night, fearing that their paper profits will go up in flames on […]
Capital Gain Taxes – Don’t let the tail wag the dog
Growing my taxable investment portfolio is all relatively new to me. I’ve been seeking to grow my non-retirement accounts from $0 up to $100,000 in four years. I’ve done pretty well and am just about there. As a matter of fact for a day or two ago my accounts topped $100k and then receded. All […]