Author: J.D. Roth

Hey, money nerds, it’s Friday. It feels like the end of the world. Even if it is the end of the world, we won’t let you down. We’ve still pulled together some top money stories for you to enjoy while everything goes down in flames.

“End Times are here…and I am at Target.” [The Outline] — “I find myself thinking about doomsday cults fairly often as I wander the aisles inside the Target near the apartment I share with my girlfriend and our dog. This happened most recently during New York’s first heatwave of the year…Every minute spent inside that artificial oasis is another ticked away before our contract with the Earth runs out.”

The economics of bubbles. [Aeon] — “Often the opportunity for a bubble arrives on the back of a new technology. And some technologies make for fantastic stories – indeed, sci-fi is a whole fictional genre based on this premise. Bubbles form whenever a new story is not only told, but can also be sold. However, not every new story leads to a bubble. Sometimes stories can be told, but not sold.”

The fate of the world’s largest ETF is tied to 11 random Millennials. [Bloomberg] — “The fate of the world’s largest exchange-traded fund rests on the health of a group of twenty-somethings. Thanks to a quirk in the legal structure used to set up the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust, known as SPY, more than $250 billion rests on the longevity of 11 ordinary kids born between May 1990 and January 1993.”

The market for lemons. [The Quarterly Journal of Economics] — “Most cars traded will be the ‘lemons’, and good cars may not be traded at all. The ‘bad’ cars tend to drive out the good…The bad cars sell at the same price as good cars since it is impossible for a buyer to tell the difference between a good and a bad car; only the seller knows.” This is a journal article from 1970, but it’s still interesting and relevant today.

Lastly, here’s a 16-minute video giving an inside look at a scam call center in Kolkata, India. This is some crazy shit.

Found something you think your fellow nerds might like? You should send it in! Help spread the top money stories on the web here at Apex Money.

We’re back, money nerds, for another fun-filled day of top money stories from around the web…

The trick that makes you overspend. [BBC Worklife] — “The decoy effect was first investigated as a potential marketing strategy to influence consumer choices such as this, but the latest research shows that it could also have potent effects in recruitment, healthcare, even politics. It shows us just how easily our judgement is swayed by the context in which the facts are presented – even when that additional information may have no bearing on the overall judgement.”

Four ways your fear of loss affects your finances. [The Physician Philosopher] — “Knowing our enemy is half the battle. And, in this case, the enemy is our own fear of loss. Instead of giving into loss aversion, admit to your irrational ways and make the smart money decision. Know that there is a behavioral aspect to economics, and use it to your advantage.”

The fog of work. [The Military Guide] — “When we’re at work, most of us are focused on our, um, work. We’re not free to work on something else, either, let alone go part-time. In the rare work moments when our laser-keen focus wanders off task for a second or two, we’re just taking a mental break…So the long-term planning happens sporadically, randomly, and superficially – if it even happens at all. No wonder the concepts of financial management and retirement are so foreign, even frightening.”

Our final piece has zero to do with money. It’s just fun. Consider it an Easter egg. 😉

The secret history of “Easter eggs”. [New York Times, so possible paywall] — “Over the years, Easter eggs in tech products have largely disappeared (except in video games). Like any other software, Easter eggs, so named for the hunt to find them, cost time and money to design, build and debug. Why would a tech company develop features it can’t advertise or even reveal?”

Found something you think your fellow nerds might like? You should send it in! Help spread the top money stories on the web here at Apex Money.

Rise and shine, money nerds. It’s time for your daily dose of money news. Our first piece today is a lot of fun. Check it out.

Am I the asshole for spending my son’s lottery winnings? [/r/AmITheAsshole] — Guy buys lottery tickets for each member of his family. Eleven-year-old son wins $100,000 on his ticket. Dad invests the proceeds. Stock market booms. Kid goes to college. How much of the money belongs to the kid and how much belongs to the dad? Reddit cannot decide but we all get to have fun reading the debate.

Kids aren’t playing enough sports. The biggest culprit? Cost. [ESPN] — “Gould said the drop in participation in youth sports is due to a ‘multifactor’ reason, with cost definitely at the top. He believes the lack of fun that kids are having is another. Gould dubbed it the ‘professionalization of youth sports’: how society becomes so focused on college scholarships, going pro and becoming famous.”

The five best Dave Ramsey quotes. [SeedTime] — “Dave has a way with words. Over the years he has come up with some fantastic one-liners — succinct nuggets that sum up much of his wisdom. These Dave Ramsey quotes had a significant impact on my life, and I hope they’ll mean as much to you as they have to me.” See also: This long profile of Dave Ramsey in Money magazine.

Lastly, here’s a four-minute video from The Story of Stuff on how advertising rewires kids’ brains.

Found something you think your fellow nerds might like? You should send it in! Help spread the top money stories on the web here at Apex Money.

Ciao, money nerds! It’s Tuesday, and today we have the usual batch of top money stories from the information superhighway. Plus, we have an actual useful personality quiz. How fun is that?

On the media obsession with “financial pornography”. [Of Dollars and Data] — “Financial pornography is the normalization of exceptional financial circumstances in order to gain attention. Financial pornography takes the outliers of the personal finance/investing world and makes them seem ordinary for the purpose of attracting more eyeballs. Just like real pornography tries to make specific sexual fantasies seem more common than they are, financial pornography tries to make specific financial outcomes seem more common than they are.” Preach! This is one of my pet peeves with mainstream media coverage of money topics. [See also: Apps like NextDoor create the illusion that crime is rising when it’s actually falling.]

The laws of investing. [Collaborative Fund] — “What’s an investing law? There’s no definition, so I’ve taken some liberties here. I try to limit them to forces that influence all types of investments, in all sectors, in all countries, throughout all of history, with few exceptions, and some explanation for why it will continue indefinitely.” This is an excellent piece and well worth reading.

How you do anything is how you do everything. [Ryan Holiday] — “Wherever we are, whatever we’re doing, and wherever we are going, we owe it to ourselves, to our art, to the world to do it well. That’s our primary duty. And our obligation. When action is our priority, vanity falls away.”

Most personality quizzes are junk science. This one isn’t. [Five Thirty Eight] — “What’s your personality, and what can it tell you about your true self? Those questions have launched a thousand online personality quizzes. But you can do better than those specious — yet irresistible — quizzes. You can take a personality quiz backed by science.”

As a guy with a psychology degree, you can imagine how much I liked this quiz. I liked it so much that I’m going to bore you with my results.

I’m an agreeable guy who is open to new experiences. Okay, I agree with that. But I also score high in “negative emotionality”. But only parts of that dimension. (I max out on depression, score high on anxiety, but don’t have much emotional volatility. In other words, I’m hard on myself but not on others.)

What is your personality like?

Found something you think your fellow nerds might like? You should send it in! Help spread the top money stories on the web here at Apex Money.

Hello, money nerds, and welcome to another Monday. You are home, stuck in your familiar routine. I, on the other hand, am in Florence, Italy, eating gelato and pasta. Haha.

Okay, sorry for being so mean. Let’s look at some top money stories from around the web.

“We’re financially independent. We just bought a $90,000 house. Yes, we’re moving in.” [Physician on Fire] — “The FIRE movement is often knocked for being overly frugal and unrealistic. By not only purchasing a $90,000 home, but also moving into it, I feel I’m doing my part to perpetuate the stereotype. But we’re not doing this for the sole purpose of looking cheap.”

Millionaire charges electric scooters for beer money. [Retire by 40] — “I’m a millionaire. Is it worth my time to charge scooters for a few bucks? I could charge $100 per hour to be a retirement consultant instead. Wouldn’t that be a better use of my time? Well, that’s the beauty of FIRE. I can do whatever I want without worrying about money much. This side gig has quite a few benefits and it’s fun.”

A life with moving sidewalks. [The Retirement Manifesto] — “There are moments in your life where an experience somehow alters your typical day-to-day reality…A ‘Moving Sidewalk Experience’ can be anything which takes you out of your routine. Something with a clear beginning, followed by a non-routine experience, and wrapping up with an adjustment as we return to the ‘reality’ of our lives.”

Exploring health-care options for early retirees. [Michael Kitces] — “While the majority of individuals plan to retire at some point after they reach age 65, there is still a non-trivial number of individuals, whether by choice or by need, who retire before they are eligible for Medicare (or even Social Security, for that matter) and still need health insurance coverage (and can’t just simply be added to their still-working spouse’s employer-sponsored plan). Fortunately, early retirees do have a few options as they consider the best way to obtain health coverage.”

Found something you think your fellow nerds might like? You should send it in! Help spread the top money stories on the web here at Apex Money.

Hello from the friendly skies, money nerds! As you read this, I (J.D.) am jetting on my way to a European vacation. Soon I will be in Rome. Have no fear. I’ve made time to collect some top money stories for you before my trip. Let’s get right to them…

Don’t live a financial fantasy. Manage money based on reality. [Brave Saver] — “We can take a look at all sides of our money, the good and the ugly, without giving in to the temptation to filter it through some financial fantasy. In doing so, we gain power — the power to see clearly, to decide clearly, to more consciously and intentionally shape money management in the present and our financial security in the future.”

How to gain a better understanding of the things that bring you joy. [Four Pillar Freedom] — “The whole point of optimizing your financial life is to give yourself the means to spend more time doing the things you like. And the best way to actually know what things you like doing is to practice self-reflection on a daily basis.”

You are responsible for your own online security. [The Retirement Café] — “Extremely risk-averse investors might be tempted to try to find financial services companies with no Internet access. They may be surprised by how difficult that has become. This is the world we live in: we’re forced online but not adequately protected from online security problems. Security is largely in our own hands.” (And see the follow-up article about how to secure your online financial accounts.)

“I researched cash-back credit cards so that you don’t have to. [/r/personalfinance] — “I made this list for myself as I was deciding which cards to apply for. I already have strong credit, but I wanted to find cards that I could keep open long term to build my credit as my lifestyle changes.” This is a nice bit of research with no affiliate links.

Our last story today is so important: It’s a six-minute video explaining why you can’t fix other people but you can fix yourself. Some folks might be inclined to disregard this clip because of the political subtext. Ignore the political subtext! The political subtext is irrelevant! Who cares about Elizabeth Warren and Jordan Peterson? You care about fixing your life, right?

“Blaming others for your problems is a complete waste of time.” So true. Even if others are the cause of your problems, it’s up to you to fix them.

Found something you think your fellow nerds might like? You should send it in! Help spread the top money stories on the web here at Apex Money.

It’s Thursday, money nerds, and I’m a basket case. Tomorrow morning, I leave for 24 days on the road. SO MUCH STUFF TO DO HOW CAN I EVER GET IT DONE OMG THE WORLD IS GOING TO END! Must be time to read some top stories about getting shit done.

Why working quickly is more important than it seems. [James Somers] — “The obvious benefit to working quickly is that you’ll finish more stuff per unit time. But there’s more to it than that. If you work quickly, the cost of doing something new will seem lower in your mind. So you’ll be inclined to do more.”

“I declare to-do list bankruptcy (and you should too).” [Ambition and Balance] — “Trying to clean up your tasks piecemeal without revisiting the whole system is like trying to fit square pegs in round holes…The fastest, easiest, and more effective way to make your task manager useful again is to declare bankruptcy and start from scratch.”

“How I got more done, reduced stress, increased focus, and mastered time management.” [For the Interested] — “We don’t know how much time we spend on email. We don’t know how much time we spend in meetings. We don’t know how much time we spend doing work that isn’t important. As a result, we don’t know why we don’t have ‘enough’ time to get things done. Scheduling every minute of your work week counters all of that.”

“My quest to be more present and enjoy life more.” [Making Sense of Cents] — “I’m guilty of running through life too quickly and not stopping to really enjoy it. I’ve decided that I really need to slow down, enjoy what’s happening right now, and to live in the moment. I want to be more focused so that I can truly enjoy whatever it is that I am doing…I just want to make sure I get to experience more of this beautiful world that we live in.”

Our final piece for today is a 24-minute video about managing distractions so that we can focus on high-value tasks and avoid low-value tasks.

Found something you think your fellow nerds might like? You should send it in! Help spread the top money stories on the web here at Apex Money.

Why, hello money nerds! It’s Wednesday, and as always we have some top money stories for you. Enjoy!

Your chances of becoming a millionaire based on race, age, and education. [Financial Samurai] — “In an ideal world, it would be wonderful if everybody could have an equal chance to become a millionaire by race, by age, and by education attainment. Unfortunately, the system is rigged where people already in power naturally look to take care of their own. It’s up to all of us to proactively enrich our minds with knowledge that can help us grow our wealth, regardless of circumstance.”

The logic of stupid poor people. [Tressie MC] — “If you are poor, why do you spend money on useless status symbols like handbags and belts and clothes and shoes and televisions and cars? One thing I’ve learned is that one person’s illogical belief is another person’s survival skill. And nothing is more logical than trying to survive.” This is a great piece.

Why Americans hate taxes. [Behavioral Scientist] — “Social science research tells us that at least part of our tax aversion stems from the opacity of government processes and the pernicious effect of sludges in the way we file taxes in the United States. To make matters worse, there are powerful special interest groups who are keen to keep the system opaque and sludgy. It does not have to be this way.”

Found something you think your fellow nerds might like? You should send it in! Help spread the top money stories on the web here at Apex Money.

Today is Tuesday, money nerds, and we’re going to take a look at what it takes to raise a family. From childcare to homeownership to television — these are some of the top money stories we’ve been reading lately.

Child care: What — and who — it takes to raise a family. [The California Sunday Magazine] — “Child care is one of the hardest, most expensive problems for parents to solve…To better understand how people are coping, we asked six families — as well as their nannies, day-care providers, extended family members, and ‘mother’s helpers’ — to explain how they’re caring for their children and how much they’re paying to do it.”

“Home ownership cost us $60,000 in a great housing market.” [Stop Ironing Shirts] — “We recently sold our house and moved as part of our early retirement plan. The place we moved from was considered one of the hotter housing markets in the country (Dallas-Fort Worth) and we sold our home for nearly $50,000 more than we purchased it for after owning it for only 43 months. That sounds like a victory, but when we finalized the numbers we *lost* nearly $60,000 compared to renting over that same time period.”

How the television transformed our homes (and our lives). [Curbed] — “The history of television’s place in domestic interiors fits into a much larger story about the look of technology in the home. Are pieces of consumer technology machines, furniture, or something else?”

“How and why my husband and I keep separate finances.” [Making Sense of Cents] — “I want to share with you our experience of managing money independently, as a couple. You may be inspired to separate your finances if they are currently joined. Or it may give you a perspective on how you can be in a relationship but keep your financials separate.”

To round things up, here’s an article that isn’t really money-related…but it’s family-related for many of you.

The hottest new board games from GenCon 2019. [Ars Technica] — “We sifted through the chaos to bring you a big list of games we think you should be paying attention to going into the last few months of the year. With such a massive amount of games on offer, we couldn’t get to everything we wanted to — your correspondent is just one man! — but we think our list has something for everyone on it.”

Found something you think your fellow nerds might like? You should send it in! Help spread the top money stories on the web here at Apex Money.

Yawn… Good morning, my money nerds, and welcome to another wonderful week. Before you dive in, let’s take a look at some top money stories from around the interwebs.

Today vs. tomorrow: the see-saw of planning. [Calibrating Capital] — “On one side, you have people who only live for Today. Not thinking of Tomorrow, they allocate almost all of their income and resources for the present. On the other side, you have those who only live for Tomorrow. Not thinking of Today, they allocate almost all of their income and resources for the future. A right balance is somewhere in between – enjoying Today while planning for Tomorrow. And there’s no magical, universal formula, spreadsheet, or ratio to figure this out. It’s entirely subjective to each person and family.”

The biggest wastes of time we regret as we get older. [Kristin Wong on Lifehacker] — “We spend a lot of energy looking for shortcuts to save time, and sure, those shortcuts add up. But when I look back, my biggest time regrets aren’t spending too much time on Twitter or mismanaging my daily tasks. Those are bad habits, but there are bigger, more systematic time wasters that have really gotten in the way.”

Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter lives in a $167,000 house and shops at Dollar General. [CNBC] — “Former President Jimmy Carter might have once called the white mansion at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue his home, but now, he lives in a much, much more modest abode. Carter, the nation’s 39th president and oldest-living former president in U.S. history at 94 years old, lives a fairly normal — and frugal — life…In fact, Carter still lives in the ranch house he built himself in 1961.”

Lastly, here’s a fun video featuring a woman who has been driving the same care for 53 years! Grace Braeger bought herself a ’57 Chevy…in 1957. She got a deal because (a) she bought a demo model and (b) the 1958s were about to come out.

Found something you think your fellow nerds might like? You should send it in! Help spread the top money stories on the web here at Apex Money.