We don’t share a lot of podcasts here at Apex Money (because we don’t listen to a lot of podcasts here at Apex Money), but our buddy Ryan — who writes at The Military Wallet (including articles like this IRS tax refund schedule) — sent us a podcast episode worth listening to. Let’s use it to start today’s edition of Apex Money!
How four drinking buddies saved Brazil. [Planet Money from NPR] — “Just two decades ago, inflation was so high that grocery stores were raising their prices every day…A series of leaders tried and failed to stop inflation. One instituted a price freeze. Another froze peoples’ bank accounts. Then, the government brought in four economists who had been talking to each other for years about how to fix Brazil’s inflation problem. Their solution: Create a currency that doesn’t exist.”
Essential estate-planning documents: What you need and why. [The College Investor] — “Here are the six key estate planning documents that most people will eventually need. You might think all you need is a will, but once you understand how everything works, you’ll see why you need all these documents and how they work together to ensure your family’s needs and your final wishes are met.”
Roads to happiness and success. [Life Outside the Maze] — “We all start from different places with advantages or disadvantages when it comes to being happy or successful as we define these terms for ourselves. What I will boldly offer up is that a foundation for both success and happiness involves beginning from a place of honesty and committing to what we want. It then involves following an evolving plan to get there despite ambiguity.”
Lastly, here’s an article that seems relevant to some things I’ve been thinking about lately. I’m 50 — nearing 51 — and I find that my ambition is waning. I’m content with what I have. Why push for more?
Does happiness in your 50s signal the end of ambition? [The Washington Post] — “A couple of years ago, my relationship with work started shifting. For 25 years as a writer and editor, I had run the rapids of Washington’s river of ambition, always seeking the next challenge, the next triumph. If I wasn’t under a deadline or bowing to a self-imposed task list, I didn’t feel whole…But then I started finding myself bobbing in an unfamiliar eddy: contentment with my station in life.”
Well, at least I have enough ambition to share more great money stories with you money nerds again tomorrow. See you then. 😉