I have a problem and it is Facebook. No, I don't check it 500 times per day. The problem is that the stock is eating my portfolio: On The Hook With Facebook In May of 2012, I bought 1,000 shares of Facebook when it went public at about $41. And then it dropped, so I bought more. And then it continued to drop, so I continued to add to my position. When the dust had … [Read more...] about How To Pay Zero Capital Gains
Saving and Investing Money
My Death March to Financial Independence
My journey to financial independence hit rock-bottom in 2008: My wife was busy taking care of our 1-year-old baby. I was busy with a job that consumed more than 40 hours per week. We were flipping a home and I was doing much of the work myself. I spent at least 40 hours per week swinging a hammer, hanging doors, installing cabinets, fixing plumbing, installing trim … [Read more...] about My Death March to Financial Independence
My $17.89 Phone Bill on Ting
I'm obsessed with optimizing my spending. Who wants to waste money? Not me. Optimizing some expenses is so obvious and easy, I just assume everyone else is doing it. That's definitely the case with mobile phone plans. However, I'm consistently proven wrong. Readers tell me frequently that they're barely getting by. At the same time, they let me know that they spend $60 or … [Read more...] about My $17.89 Phone Bill on Ting
Munger, Allocation, Sheep and Crazy Uncle Larry
MMM (My Favorite Munger) Let's start off with some Charlie Munger quotes. The last line of the second one is just great: Another thing I think should be avoided is extremely intense ideology because it cabbages up one’s mind. ... When you’re young it’s easy to drift into loyalties and when you announce that you’re a loyal member and you start shouting the orthodox ideology … [Read more...] about Munger, Allocation, Sheep and Crazy Uncle Larry
Does Money Define You? (A tale of two neighbors)
I greatly enjoy my little secret life. We live on a modest street where no one knows about my Mr. 1500 alter-ego. My neighbors would soil their pants if they knew that we have investments worth north of a million dollars. However at least two neighbors have suspicions. I'll call them Neighbor 1 and Neighbor 2. Neighbor 1 A couple months back, out of nowhere, Neighbor 1 asked … [Read more...] about Does Money Define You? (A tale of two neighbors)