One thing that I found about England is that they have a tolerance for some pretty high taxes. Maybe they feel it’s necessary to provide for their national health care system, but I found it pretty hard to swallow. I’ve highlighted a few of the taxes that gave me the most heartburn below: Television TAX:In England, you have to pay an annual fee to own
Book Recommendation – “The World is Flat”
I confess that I don’t read a ton of books. I should read more, but I just haven’t done it. I am in the middle of a book called, “The World is Flat” by Thomas L Friedman. Friedman also wrote a popular book called “The Lexus and the Olive Tree”. The World is Flat discusses technology and globalization. Friedman contends that there are 10 forces
I’m Back in the Saddle Again!
I’m finally back from England. Needless to say, I’m a bit tired. The 8 hour time difference can really take a toll on you. My two year old daughter is no exception. She got up at 2:00 am this morning, walked in to our room and said, “Good Morning”. NO, NO! It’s not morning. You need to go back to bed. She didn’t understand, because
The Time has Come
Well, I’ve been anticipating this day for quite awhile. It’s funny how you spend thousands of dollars for a trip, months ahead of time. I’m really glad that the majority of this trip hit the books months ago. I’m looking forward to exploring England a bit and plan to take some good notes so that I can write about some of my observations, with an
Phew! A little bit stressed today!
Well, today turned out to be a little bit stressful. It all started about 5:00 am this morning. I got up nice and early so that I could call my wife, who has already gone over to England with our daughter. (left on Monday). At the risk of giving too many details, I hopped on my Vonage line (500 minute second line for $14.99) and
Is this thing on? ELYM’s Quick Quotes!
-Pay yourself first. -Save as much as you can when you are young. -It’s okay to have money in the bank. -Don’t borrow your own money and pay someone else the interest. -The people that are impressed with what you have today, won’t be impressed when you live on the street during retirement. -Don’t buy brand new cars. -Coupons are a good thing. -Saving $5.00
Heading to England this Week
Well, it’s finally almost time to get on an airplane and fly for 8 hours to London England. This is probably the biggest adventure I’ve ever gone on in my life. It’s the first time I’ve been out of the country and I have to admit, I’m a little nervous. This will definitely hurt the finances a bit. Luckily we are taking the hits in
Saving money seems to take forever
You know something? Unless you are a geologist, meeting your financial goals seems to take FOREVER. I’m a product of the “NOW” generation. -I like my meals to be cooked as fast as possible. Microwaves take too long-I like my news NOW. Newspapers are so “yesterday”-I don’t like to wait for my food at a restaurant-My computer always seems too slow, even when it was
New Millionaire in the Making, plus a bonus: Ask the Expert
I absolutely love reading “Millionaire in the Making” on CNN Money. I find it very motivating to read how others are doing. The latest article highlights Christopher Ortega and Alicia McDonald. They are a couple that have known each other since high school and they both appear to have similiar money motivations. Here are some highlights: -Lots of home equity-Saving lots each month-Plan to save
Collection of 90+ Personal Finance Links
I’ve been playing around with listing a collection of personal finance links. You can find them over at: http://myfinancelinks.blogspot.com . I haven’t been terribly consistent about adding links, but it is building a significant listing of personal finance related links. There are 90+ links there now and I’ll keep building. If you have some links that you think might be good to include, there is