personal finance

Giveaway: New PF books.

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I’m pretty much done with my holiday shopping. How is yours going? Here’s my suggestion for a potentially life-changing gift: books about personal finance.

On the face of it, this could seem dull. (“Gosh, thanks, auntie, for the book about money,” accompanied by an epic eyeroll.) But consider it a chance to give someone a shot at taking charge of their finances. For example: 

  • A recent high school or college graduate who isn’t sure what they want with their life and has had little to no guidance on figuring out how money works
  • A newly divorced friend, who needs help writing their new money story
  • A relative whose livelihood was depleted (or outright destroyed) by issues beyond their control, such as serious illness or DOGE-related layoffs 

Or maybe that someone is you. Maybe you’ve realized your current money habits don’t allow much room for growth, or are outright unsustainable. But how do you know where to get advice? 

These books might change someone’s life:

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5 money tips from “Jurassic World Rebirth”

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My niece and I dropped in on Cinemark’s “Secret Movie Series” screening the other day. Each month the chain* does a $5 top-secret screening of an upcoming film. The only thing you know going in is the film’s rating – not even a hint of the genre. When I left the house I said to DF, “Wouldn’t it be fun if it’s the new Jurassic movie? But it won’t be.”

It was.

“Jurassic World Rebirth” stars Scarlett Johansson as Zora Bennett, a covert operations specialist (read: mercenary) who puts together a team to sneak into an isolated equatorial country to get dinosaur DNA. Seems that their giant hearts may hold the key to a medicine to cure heart disease in humans.

But…Didn’t all the dinosaurs die in the last movie?

Of course not. This is Hollywood. They always leave the door open for a sequel.

The film provides lip service to a couple of serious topics, such as climate change (dinos now thrive only in the equatorial region because it’s closest to their original habitat) and Big Pharma (a character cynically notes that any medical breakthroughs will be wildly expensive and thus available only to the well-off).

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Meet a reader: RoInRocketCity.

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This is the third in my “Meet a reader” series and as with the first two, I’ve had the chance to meet with Ro in real life.

That happened at the 2016 Financial Blogger Conference in San Diego, where Ro was living at the time. We had a too-brief meetup, and I’m afraid I was a bit distracted because my daughter, who was also attending, was sick. (Those waxing-and-waning symptoms turned out to be sepsis. Yikes.)

Even so, it’s always fun to meet someone who’s been commenting on your stuff – especially since Ro has been a commenter since my MSN Money days. She always had (and has) thoughtful things to say.

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Meet a reader: FrugalStrong from Texas.

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Like the first person featured in the “Meet a reader” series, FrugalStrong has also been the subject of a post on this site. I had the chance to meet her and her family when they traveled to Alaska. The result was an article called “Why aren’t more people frugal?” The title for that piece came from a question her husband posed during our frugal meet-up at a Carl’s Jr. restaurant (a location chosen for its big indoor playground).

When the 2017 Financial Blogger Conference took place in Dallas, she invited DF and me to stay for a couple of days, pre-conference. Their home is on a lake, and DF got a kick out of being able to swim in late October. Unfortunately, I came down with some kind of bug while I was there, which was mortifying, but she and her husband couldn’t have been nicer about it. 

Our recent phone chat was the two of us taking turns preaching to the choir. FrugalStrong and I have the same mindset: Save where you can so you can spend where you want.

Here, lightly edited for brevity and clarity, is that conversation.

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5 money lessons from “Jurassic World: Dominion.”

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I do love finding personal finance lessons in popular culture. Today I’ll take out after “Jurassic World: Dominion.”

Was it a good movie? Hard to say. Asking this is like asking, “Was your McDonald’s meal a good dining experience?” Answer: It filled me up okay but it was neither memorable nor remember-able. “Jurassic World: Dominion” is the same sort of cinematic non-feast: I remember enjoying certain parts of it, but on the whole it was just…long. If I’d been wearing a watch, I’d have been checking it after about the 90-minute mark – and the film lasts for 147 minutes.

The first film in the series, “Jurassic Park,” was a wildly entertaining film with plenty of action and terrific (for the time) special effects. But it also asked the hard questions. You know, stuff about humankind’s ongoing attempts to control Nature and our inability to look at something wondrous without wondering how much money it could bring us.

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Meet a reader: Cheryl from Florida.

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Recently I announced my intention to borrow a strategy from The Frugal Girl, who posts a regular feature called “Meet a Reader.” This seemed like a natural fit for my site, since (a) I like talking with readers and (b) you guys are always talking to one another in the comments.

(Love it when that happens, by the way. And long may it continue!)

So I asked who might be interested in participating* in this feature, and was delighted that a dozen people either volunteered, or suggested a reader they hoped I’d interview. In addition, I made my own list (there was some overlap).

Random number generator decided that Cheryl would be first. Some of you may remember her from a previous piece I wrote, “Cheryl paid off her mortgage.” I was fortunate to meet her in person when visiting my dad, and figured a phone conversation would be as stimulating as the one the three of us had in person at a Dunkin Donuts in Tarpon Springs, Florida.

It was.

Here, edited a bit for brevity and clarity, is how it all shook down.

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Monday miscellany: Cheapest ways to be dead.

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Recently a friend of my daughter’s suffered the unexpected loss of a family member who lived in another state. Her friend’s mother is unemployed, and the friend herself doesn’t earn much money. Abby offered “to do what I do best: comparison shop to find them the best deal.” The best she could find had a … Read more

A chance to meet a reader.

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During the no- or low-spend February challenge, a reader named A. Marie mentioned she had been interviewed for the “Meet a reader” feature at a site called The Frugal Girl.

(That interview can be found here, if you’d like to go learn more about the awesome A. Marie. Go ahead. I’ll wait.)

Now: Who else is interested in being interviewed?

Yep, I’m appropriating The Frugal Girl’s idea. In part that’s because it sounds like great fun. After all, one of my favorite things about being a writer is getting to talk with people, and I’d love to chat with some of you in real life. (Well, over the phone.)

In fact, I have chatted with some of you in real life, during my travels, and it’s always stimulating.

The other reason I think “Meet A Reader” will fit here is that you folks tend to start conversations in the comments. Seems you’re already meeting readers, in a sense, and bringing us into the conversation. So why not make it official? 

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A retirement trial run.

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I almost didn’t write this post. Not because I was too busy, but rather because I was too busy not being busy. This is my seventh day in Phoenix, and I’ve accomplished relatively little since arriving.

Last week’s overnight flight (Friday night/Saturday morning) provided little sleep due to twin meltdowns: An adult a few rows ahead of me and a toddler a few rows behind me. The adult sobbed aloud (“I can’t do this, I just can’t doooooo this….”) every time we hit turbulence. And there was a lot of turbulence.

The toddler screamed for a big chunk of the six-hour flight. They’d get her calmed down and she’d start up again. The mom in me wondered if an ear infection was involved, since she stopped crying once the plane landed.

Either way, I got relatively little sleep. That first day (Saturday) is kind of a blur and did, in fact, involve a nice long nap. But every day since, I’ve found ways to skirt most work in favor of reading, sleeping, eating and watching a ton of TV* with my daughter.

A couple days ago I realized, “This is a trial run at retirement.” 

You know, doing whatever you want. Getting up when it damn well suits you. Moving at the pace that seems relevant to the day. Eating when you feel hungry, vs. during a “lunch break.” Reading until your eyes blur. Hanging out with loved ones and talking about everything, or talking about nothing at all if you’d rather be absorbed in an excellent drama. Going to bed when it damn well suits you.

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Goodbye, medical collections debt.

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Got medical debt? So do a lot of people: About one in five U.S. households have medical-related debt, according to a new study from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. And medical collections debt can do a number on your credit score (as in, a lower number).

But change is coming, in three ways:

As of July 1, 2022, paid-off medical collections debt will no longer appear on your credit report.

The time frame for unpaid medical collections debt’s appearance on your credit report will double. Consumers will have one year, rather than six months, to deal with insurance companies and/or negotiate with healthcare agencies before the debt is officially reported.

Finally, in the first half of 2023, the three major credit reporting agencies (Equifax, Experian and TransUnion) will not list medical collection debt that’s $500 or less.

This is huge for those who’ve fallen victim to what the CFPB calls “opaque pricing” and “complicated insurance or charity care coverage and pricing rules.” (Rohit Chopra, director of the CFPB, refers to it as “a doom loop.”) Those who are experiencing medical emergencies, as well as those who have chronic illnesses, may feel they have no choice to shoulder the costs associated with getting care. 

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