Today is Thursday, my friends, and this is Apex Money. I’m your host, J.D. Roth. Here are the stories I’ve gathered for you this morning.
The rich are not who we think they are. (And happiness isn’t what we think it is.) [The New York Times gift article] — “If pop culture is right, getting rich is a path to happiness. Is that true? Does money actually make people happy? Just as anonymous tax data, which has been made widely available to researchers only in the past few years, has led to credible research on what actually makes people rich, new sources of data in the past decade have given us many insights into what actually makes people happy. And money is not a reliable path to happiness.” [This article “rhymes” with The Millionaire Next Door, which I find interesting.]
How to say no. [Psyche] — “If you, like many people, have the sense that you’re constantly trying to please others or you’re forever acquiescing to a litany of requests, comments and external pressures – then this Guide is for you.”
“Why I let my kids go into debt.” [Frugalwoods] — ” At last year’s county fair, there were inflatable unicorns for sale. Kidwoods fell deeply in love with a turquoise one and was adamant that she wanted to spend her money on this plastic horse with a horn. As it turned out, the unicorn was $13 and she only had $9. I told her I was willing to pay the extra $4, but that she’d have to work off her debt. She agreed and clutched her unicorn with glee. Once home, the reality of ‘work off your debt’ began to sink in.”
Finally, here’s my first video this week. It’s a five-minute look at the principles of organization. I love this video.
There are some good tips here. I especially like the admonition to “kit your shit”. It took me a l-o-n-g time to learn this, but man has it been a revelation. By keeping stuff together in “kits”, I’m much better able to keep things organized. (I find this especially useful for travel.)
Tip: The entire Van Neistat channel on YouTube is great. His brother, Casey, is much more famous (and produces great videos), but for my money Van’s stuff is better.
Okay, that’s all I have for you today. I’ll be back tomorrow to take you into the weekend!