Welcome to Wednesday, Apexians.
As I’ve mentioned, I’ve finished work on a “financial independence and early retirement” course for Audible and The Teaching Company. Right now, it’s tentatively scheduled to release in October.
As part of that course, I went on a five- or ten-minute digression about the history of homeownership in the United States. In fact, I’ve spent much of this year diving deep into the history of personal finance and home economics. It’s fascinating. (I’ve begun toying with the idea of writing a book or a course on this topic, even though I know the audience for it would be small.)
Anyhow, our first story today here at Apex is all about homeownership through the ages.
Homeownership through the ages: A look at homeownership then and now. [Ancestry] — “The Homestead Act of 1862, the introduction of the 30-year mortgage, and the GI Bill are all among the milestones that brought home ownership within the reach of millions of Americans. Today, more than 63.5 percent of all Americans own their homes, up from 44 percent in 1940. Here are some of the important landmarks in this history.”
Fifteen things to consider before moving to the country. [Frugalwoods] — “There is no perfect location and no perfect lifestyle, but for me, where we live now comes pretty darn close. I’m not out to convert you (well, maybe a little…) but I do want to reassure any rural-curious folks that it is possible to take the plunge without much experience, without having lived rurally before, without owning so much as a shovel, and without knowing how to drive a tractor.”
The life-changing magic of doing just enough. [MSN News] — “In Norway, I discovered a new emotion I can best describe as ‘enoughness’—a neologism whose source I have yet to determine—alien to most New Yorkers. My tolerance for nonproductive activities increased. So did my appetite for solitude in nature, a transformation I have put to good use in pandemic social isolation.”
To round out the day, here’s a fun video of a kid outside Angkor Wat in Siem Reap, Cambodia. He’s hawking souvenirs in twelve different languages. Not sure why I like this so much, but I do.
And that’s all we have for Wednesday. I’ll see you tomorrow with more great stuff from the world of money. Bye bye!