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By David
Money Quote Friday – If It Were Doubled Edition.
Ain’t that the truth. Have a great weekend everyone!
Archive for July, 2009
By David
Using Cash For Clunkers, But Against The Stimulus?
Yesterday on Twitter I was having a conversation with someone who asked a very interesting question – “I wonder how many people who were always against the stimulus are now turning in their clunker for a $4,500 gift from the government?“. I think it’s an important question to ask, as if you are against stimulus money, why would you take some of it? After all, the less you take, the less the debt might be from it. The Governors of Texas and Louisiana, at one point, said they weren’t going to take the stimulus money – but then Gov. Bobby Jindal (Lousiana) proceeded to present a check for slightly over $500,000 in grants to Vernon Parish. Jindal made no mention of the source of the money during his presentation. Instead, the large ceremonial check proclaimed the source of the funds to be “The State Of Louisiana, Office Of The Governor.” He took the stimulus money he had been railing against just a few days before and presented it to this parish, on TV, as if it was from the Governor himself. Isn’t there something seriously wrong with this picture? I mean, this is exactly the kind of question I am asking about this cash for clunkers deal; is it OK to constantly try to derail and put down the stimulus, but then take advantage of it and add to any possible deficit that comes from it? How about being for the bailout of big banks, but not for car makers or the unemployed?
By David
How Is Stimulus Money Being Used In Your Town?
As you probably know, I just got back from a cross-country and back road trip. I drove all the way to the east coast from New Mexico, with each way taking about 3.5 days. On the way east I took I-80 all the way to upstate New York, where I jumped on I-90, and on the way west I took I-70 (just for some different scenery!) – and I hit a lot of construction on all 3 highways…most of which was being funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. How did I know this? Because at every construction site, on every closed lane, and for every bridge closed for repairs (including the Mississippi), I came across the signs telling me so. They look like this:
By David
Laid Off? How To Protect Your Financial Security.
Once again, my favorite money-management newsletter comes to the rescue for those of you struggling with your finances after being laid off. I read the newsletter from T. Rowe Price religiously every month, and when I come across something worthwhile, I like sharing it with you guys. While there are many things people can do before they get laid off that can help with financial security, not many think about what they can do after they lose their jobs – and that’s where these 4 tips come in to play. For me, my biggest tip is to have an emergency fund that you constantly add to…it goes a long way to making you feel like you would be OK for a while if you lost your employment. But here is what the guys over at T. Rowe Price have to say, along with my thoughts on each:
By David
Inheriting 80 Year Old Tools – That Still Work Fine.
I just got back from my almost 3 week cross-country trip and before I start today’s post, I just wanted to say thanks to Matt from DebtFree Adventure for his amazing guest post “The Benefits of Frugal Living“. Thanks Matt!
