A common mistake a lot people make when they’re single is overlooking the importance of saving for retirement. If you have no one to depend on except for yourself, you may be blindly near sighted with your finances. Of course you know you need to make enough money each month to cover your living expenses, but if that's basically as far as you've gotten with retirement … [Read more...]
Rio Olympics Edition: Untemplater Income Report August 2016
We've just passed the half way mark of the Rio Olympics and it sure has been an exciting one. I didn't watch the opening ceremonies but have been watching a lot of diving, swimming, track and gymnastics. The summer olympics are definitely my favorite and it seems like the events get more and more exciting as each four years passes, doesn't it? Maybe it's also the fact that … [Read more...]
Don’t settle due to laziness or lack of effort
Have you ever procrastinated on something or settled for second best (or worse) and later kicked yourself for not caring enough to do something about it sooner? It's helpful to get a friendly reminder now and then: don't settle due to laziness or lack of effort. I was reminded of this recently at 1:03 am Saturday morning. Here's what happened to me this past weekend. Over … [Read more...]
Do the things you long for make you weak or strong?
There's a saying in my family, "desire is the cause of suffering," which stems from Buddhism. Even though I'm not Buddhist myself, this principle makes sense to me from several angles: always wanting what you don't have, i.e. coveting, can lead to feelings of bitterness, jealousy and frustration. In addition, the more you have, the more you have to lose, which can cause pain, … [Read more...]
Are you prepared for when the good times end?
Do you ever get a sinking feeling that something's about to go wrong or that the start of something bad is already under way? That's a bit how I feel lately. Fortunately, I'm not talking about my health or my loved ones. I'm talking about the economy. I'm no longer wondering if we're going to have a recession in the U.S.; I'm wondering when. Are you prepared for when the good … [Read more...]