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Life, Work and Money
35 posts, newest first (page 2 of 2).
From Kitchen Table to Open Sign, the First Steps of Starting a Small BusinessTen plain steps from a skill and a customer to a legal, funded, properly booked small business, with the free help that exists to get you there. Seven Myths About Owning a Home That Cost First-Time Buyers Real MoneySeven beliefs that sound like common sense and quietly drain first-time buyers, each tested against plain arithmetic and the record, with a verdict. Buy or Rent? One Family, One City and a Five-Year Worked ExampleOwning wins for families who stay and costs dearly for those who move in three years. A hypothetical family, worked year by year, with the break-even shown. Pay the Tax Now or Pay It Later? Traditional and Roth Accounts Side by SideTraditional or Roth is a bet on whether your tax rate will be higher now or later. A side-by-side table and a worked hypothetical under three rate scenarios. How a 401(k), a Traditional IRA and a Roth IRA Really Work, in Twelve QuestionsThe common retirement accounts in twelve questions: who opens them, when tax is paid, matching, early withdrawals, rollovers and required distributions. From Savings Banks to Roth Accounts, a Timeline of How Americans Learned to SavePrivate thrift built American saving, and a few laws let ordinary workers own a nest egg. A dated timeline from the 1816 savings banks to the Roth IRA. Compound Interest Year by Year, the Arithmetic That Rewards the Patient SaverCompound interest is plain arithmetic. Worked year by year at a hypothetical rate, it shows why starting early wins and how fees and inflation bite. Why the Emergency Fund Comes Before Every Other Money Goal You HaveA cash reserve is the foundation of every other money goal. The argument in numbered premises, where to keep it, how to start, and the investing objection. Debt Snowball or Debt Avalanche? Two Payoff Plans Run on the Same Four DebtsThe avalanche saves the most interest; the snowball may finish more often. Both plans run on the same four hypothetical debts, with the trade-off in dollars. Give Every Dollar a Job Before the Month Starts, the Zero-Based BudgetIncome minus planned outflows equals zero before the month begins. How a zero-based budget works, with a labeled example and irregular income. The Envelope Budget, Cash in Labeled Envelopes and a Month Worked to the DollarWhen the grocery envelope is empty, grocery spending is done. A step-by-step envelope budget, worked on a labeled hypothetical family of four.
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- The Constitution and the Founders
- First Principles
- The Courts and the Rule of Law
- Economy, Taxes and Free Markets
- Big Government and the Administrative State
- Border, Immigration and Sovereignty
- Faith, Family and Life
- Education, Parents and Kids
- Culture, Media and Free Speech
- Crime, Policing and Justice
- The Second Amendment
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- American History and Heroes
- Elections, Civic Action and the Comeback