Rethinking Retirement

Today is the first in a multi-part series about what we think of when we think of “retirement.” In today’s discussion we analyze what “retirement” means colloquially, how it differs from “financial independence,” and we’ll touch on re-thinking it entirely. Let’s get started shall we?

How Much That Splurge REALLY Costs You...

Full disclosure time here at The Bill Stark Blog: I suck at staying in my budget for my weekly personal spending. Time and again when it comes to Budget Night at the Stark household my wife has chastised me for not being able to stay within the boundaries of my budget for eating out at work and buying the things I want. One solution to my over spending problem? Looking at the math behind what those added expenses truly cost. The results led me to change everything.

Would You Drop Cable for $40,000?

When my wife and I paid off over $100,000 in student loans in four years we didn’t do it simply because it felt good or for some moral purpose. When we paid that debt off we saved ourselves thousands of dollars in interest. That’s not noble, it’s self-serving. Today we’re going to look at what happens when you spend just a few more dollars each month on your mortgage (hint: you get rich faster!). Let’s go…

Stop Paying Your Boss So You Can Work

How much would you pay your boss for the chance to keep working your current job? $10,000? $20,000? $30,000??? If you’re like most Americans you’re unwittingly paying your boss thousands of dollars to work your job and not move up in your career field. Today we’re going to put a stop to that and put a plan in place to get you your money.

Budget Night at the Stark Household

For many it’s a day filled with such dread that most families skip it entirely. But there’ a way to make using the most powerful financial tool in your arsenal into an enjoyable highlight of your month. So how do the missus and I make budget day one of our favorite parts of the month? That’s what I’m here to discuss today!

Has the 401k Failed Americans?

The Economic Policy Institute recently released a report and detailed study posing the question, “Have 401ks failed Americans?” As the United States has shifted from a pension-based retirement society to one in which workers rely on their own 401ks we’re experiencing a first in our history: the majority of workers’ retirement savings are self-directed. That poses new challenges for the nation as a whole. So have 401ks failed Americans?

You're Not a Bad Person

It’s easy to work on your personal finances once you’ve had a few successes. The adrenaline and endorphins you get from doing something right snowballs into wanting to do more things to help your situation. But getting to that point? It’s a psychological mess of guilt, fear, and paralysis that prevents perfectly reasonable people from making seemingly obvious financial decisions. I know personally: that was exactly me only a few years ago. Ignoring my mail, refusing to take calls from numbers I didn’t know, assuming that whatever my money troubles were they’d be dealt with if I just ignored them long enough. When I finally realized the downsides to that approach I felt immensely guilty. But you know what? None of those decisions made me a bad person. And no matter how much you’ve f*cked up your finances, they don’t make you a bad person either.