Skip to content

Making $35,000 bonsai scissors.

Far out, money nerds! It’s Friday! The weekend is here and it’s time to celebrate with a handful of top money stories from around the web.

Everything is temporary. Nearly everything is reversible. [CityFrugal] — “Nearly all our financial decisions are like this. If you take a job and you don’t like it, you can find a new one. If you buy an apartment and get moved for work three years later, you can sell it. If you don’t like a city, you can move back to your old one or try another…Nothing we do is permanent.

“Why I don’t use the FIRE acronym to describe financial freedom.” [Monevator] — “Yoking the concept of financial independence together with retiring early is not ideal. I just don’t see them as uniquely wedded at the hip. Also, I suspect it causes confusion about goals, and even cultivates outrage from those dreaded ‘retirement police’ who get angry if a FIRE-ee earns a few bob on the side.”

Is the U.S. on its way to becoming a cash-less society? [Harvard Business Review] — “Taken together, these data do signal that a ‘less cash’ society is emerging and that an entirely cashless society is unlikely any time soon–especially when 70% of Americans still report using cash on a weekly basis. But 50%, 60%, or 70% cashless is certainly conceivable.”

Robo-advisors are still hot. Here’s how their portfolios are performing. [Barron’s] — “Robo assets continue to rise, to at least $440 billion at last count, according to Backend’s analysis. The increase has been driven by new services, including access to live advisors, sustainable-investing products, and higher-yielding cash accounts.”

To finish off our Friday edition of Apex Money, here’s a four-minute video about master blacksmith Yasuhiro Hirakawa. He makes a variety of knives and other tools, including $35,000 scissors. $35,000?!?!? Yep. Take a look.

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

Comments are closed, but trackbacks and pingbacks are open.