November 2011

Write Your Own Amazing Story

I sometimes wonder if I have what it takes to be an engaging personal finance blogger. In many respects, I’m just a “regular guy” with a dream: I haven’t traveled to 27 countries and become location-independent. I didn’t sell a business I created in my 20s for a million dollars. I’m not paying off mountains [...]

Living in the Moment vs. Future Goals

One of the toughest ideas to process mentally when you get introduced to the concept of “living in the moment” is how to accept the present condition and also seek to build a better future. The two ideas seem to be mutually exclusive–seek future goals and you accept that the present doesn’t live up to [...]

Thankfulness for 2011

Every year around this time, I get in a self-reflective mood that lasts from Thanksgiving through the first week of January. It’s a nice time of year for reviewing accomplishments, thinking about goals, wrapping up loose ends, and making important life decisions. Of course, the first and most important step in all of that is [...]

Is Progressive Snapshot Worth It?

Nearly two years ago, I revisited my auto insurance premiums as I do every few years, and decided that switching to Progressive was the most logical and inexpensive choice among the providers I quoted (4-5 of them). Through two fender-benders (neither our fault), they have been nothing short of fantastic to work with. While the [...]

Perspectives from Poland

A few months ago, I spent two full weeks with my family in Poland. It was my longest stay in over 10 years, dating back to the long summers spent there as a kid, and my first time back in 3 years. I was particularly self-reflective on this trip, more so than in years past. [...]