Today is Thursday, my friends, although it seems like Tuesday because it’s only the second day I’ve collected links for Apex this week. 😉
Actually, that’s not true. It very much feels like Thursday. I might not have been reading much about money this week, but I’ve certainly been busy. Doing what? Well, mostly I’ve been painting. I’m not sure I’ve mentioned it at Apex, but I’m taking a watercolor class — and I love it. It’s so fun! It’s been a long time since I’ve got lost in flow like I get lost with this class. (Seven hours painting yesterday. Wow.)
Okay, okay. Enough jibber jabber. You’re here for money stories, not for pondering about painting.
How I read 40 books and extinguished the world on fire. [Emily Gorcenski] — “Reading took a back seat in my life and it stayed there for almost two decades. It pained me to think about this loss: reading brought me so much joy throughout my life. I used to live at our local library. Why couldn’t I get it back. This year I found that answer. Put away the fucking phone.” Preach!
The soaring cost of streaming services. [The Verge] — “This year alone, all of the major names in streaming — Netflix, Hulu, Disney Plus, Max, Apple TV Plus, Paramount Plus, and Peacock — have raised their prices. Netflix’s most expensive plan has officially crossed the $20 threshold, and other services are steadily headed in that direction. The price of streaming is at an all-time high.” [Five years ago, I was paying $50/month for streaming services that now cost me $85/month. No wonder I’m pruning back!]
How much is a 3% mortgage worth? [A Wealth of Common Sense] — “Sometimes it doesn’t seem fair how the winners and losers are determined in this crazy world of ours. However, I’m not sure we’ve ever experienced a wider gap between the winners and losers in something as big and important as the housing market. This is going to have a lasting impact for years to come and I don’t think we’ve thought through the potential ramifications yet.” [Kim and I bought our house with a 2.63% interest rate in August 2021. I can’t imagine we will ever sell it. (But I could be wrong.)]
Say “hello” to Pathfinders. [JL Collins] — I generally try not to promote my friends’ work here, but I’ll make an exception this time. In 2016 JL Collins published The Simple Path to Wealth, which has become one of the most-highly recommended books in the world of personal finance (and financial independence). It really is all you need to know about money. Well, this week Collins published the follow-up, Pathfinders, which collects stories from folks who have put his ideas into action. Want to know more? This link features 24 intriguing quotes from the new book.
That’s it for today, folks. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to head out to watercolor class. I’ll be back tomorrow to take you into the weekend.