Workplace 403(b) retirement plans are, very roughly speaking, the non-profit and public sector's answer to the 401(k) retirement plans offered by private companies. If your workplace 403(b) account is administered by Vanguard, you probably recently received a letter explaining some changes to your account. The most important changes are: a change in fee structure from a … [Read more...] about What should you do if your Vanguard 403(b) account is getting access to Admiral shares?
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How much is your obsession with tax efficiency costing you?
Something that I find separates me from the classical financial independence/early retirement community is the particular obsession of that community with achieving financial independence in order to retire early from work. In the framing I see regularly repeated, you're supposed to study for the most lucrative degree possible, then get the most lucrative job available, then … [Read more...] about How much is your obsession with tax efficiency costing you?
Business is not work is not investing
One of the more curious tricks played by late capitalism on the minds of its subjects is conceptually transforming all aspects of life into different forms of capital. From this trick arises the idea of "social" capital, which turns relationships with friends, neighbors, and loved ones into assets that can be assigned a precise value based on discounted future cash flows. … [Read more...] about Business is not work is not investing
See how “frugal” I am
I always have a good time reading the latest explanation for how easy it is to save money if you just make a few simple sacrifices, whether it's your daily latte, your breakfast avocado toast, or whatever other "excess" has seized the imagination of our Baby Boomer media publishing overlords. But even I was surprised when a reader tweeted me the other day to say "you are … [Read more...] about See how “frugal” I am
If a gap year is good, a gap life is even better
Last week Noah at Money Metagame announced he and his wife were considering what he called a "gap year:" taking time off from the workforce to go on an "epic road trip across the country." I thought this was an excellent idea, and told him so on Twitter. Then I started riffing on gap years and realized the thing I liked least about it was the idea of limiting it to a … [Read more...] about If a gap year is good, a gap life is even better