Hello there, my friend, and welcome to another day of Apex Money, another day of exploring the best money stories from around the web. Here’s what I’ve gathered for you today.
The upgrade effect. [Accidental Fire] — “This study highlights the fact that in today’s environment of unlimited everything and better versions every week, achieving financial independence demands an awareness of the behavioral tripwires that cross our paths everyday.”
A breakdown of Americans’ monthly credit card spending. [Visual Capitalist] — “Credit card spending is based on anonymized data from Personal Capital users, who tend to have a higher-than-average net worth…Therefore, the credit card spending amounts may be higher than those of the general U.S. population. It’s also worth noting that the data reflects credit card spending only. It does not include expenses such as mortgage or rental payments, which are typically paid through other methods.”
How the FBI discovered a real-life Indiana Jones in, of all places, rural Indiana. [Vanity Fair] — “One evening […] in October 2013, Carpenter — an FBI agent — heard his phone ringing at his home in Indianapolis. His supervisor was calling to tell him of an anonymous tip about a man in rural Indiana named Don Miller. The tipster said Miller was an amateur archaeologist who’d amassed a vast collection of artifacts, especially Native American items. Inside his home, the person claimed, were skulls, bones, and entire skeletons.”
Beneath the bird feeder. [Carla Rhodes] — “‘Beneath The Bird Feeder’ is a photographic project starring many feathered (and furred) visitors. Subjects were photographed daily via a DSLR camera trap positioned underneath my bird feeder during the winter months of 2020-2021. This project reveals insights into species behavior while showing the viewer a new perspective on a common pastime.”
Today’s video features is sort of related to money, for once. It’s a 20-minute piece from Benn Jordan that explains how a well-respected New York Times reporter is, essentially, bilking hundreds of musicians out of royalties on their music. It’s a long, complicated cautionary tale about the importance of reading contracts. (And about how there’s no such thing as a free lunch.)
And that’s all I have. I’ll be back tomorrow to take you into the weekend. Until then, stay healthy and grow wealthy!