Every now and then I get in a phase where I will mostly listen to one genre of music. Sometimes its progressive rock,sometimes its punk rock, sometimes its electronica indie. Right now it just so happens to be what they call "Backpack Hip Hop." Backpack Hip Hop - Mainly consists of local underground rap/hip-hop music artists only. The sub-genre or sub-categoration of the music means nothing, as long as they are a local unsigned (no recording contract) artist. I don't regularly listen to gansta rap or anything of that nature, but the backpack genre is really catchy to me. These 4 songs don't necessarily fit neatly into that category, but musically they share a lot of similarities.
You are 22 years old. You have just spent the past four years paying tuition, room and board, books, food, utilities, transportation, etc. The worst part is that it is all getting more and more expensive beyond peoples’ expectations. Where does that leave you? In a mountain of debt upon graduation. For some of us that means letting our debt dictate a less than optimal career. If you are a college student (or know a college student to pass this onto!), what is one area that you directly control? The amount of money you make. Why does that matter? Every dollar you make is one less dollar you will have to borrow! One thing to remember, though, is that you shouldn’t write off expensive colleges because you fear debt: ” Not applying
I previously went over cash for clunkers when it first came out. The point of that post was to detail how the program was supposed to work. Since then I have refrained from discussing the program until the results were posted. A lot of bloggers chastised the program heavily and I disagreed with them. So, I have anxiously awaited the results to see how everything panned out. As with all initiatives, both public and private, it is easy to find what could have done better. And that is important! But we often falter in giving programs credit where credit is due. So, on to the hard numbers… how did the program fair? Results Total Cars
“You’re fired!” Trump is famous for those two words. They’re also a pair of words that most of us dread. But what if it was almost impossible for your boss to let you go? Imagine that just to fire you, your boss would have to dedicate countless hours of time, sift through mountains of paperwork, and set aside thousands of dollars in court fees. You would be certain that there was little you could do that would cost you your job. As long as you didn’t show up to work naked, or steal large sums of money, you were fine. Do you think your behavior at work would change? Would you take more risks? Would you slack off? Or would you actually put forth just as much effort? If you’re a teacher with tenure
One thing that annoys me a lot is the illegal immigration debate. People say we need immigration reform and I agree! We need to make it easier to get work visa’s and to come to our country. Statistically speaking, we see increased illegal immigration when the economy is doing well and we need labor, and we see a decrease in illegal immigration when the economy is bad. These migrant workers should be allowed to enter our country on a documented basis to ensure we are doing our due diligence to promote safety within our borders. But MLR, what about all of the services they use? The first misconception hardly worth addressing is whether or not they pay taxes. Many pay income taxes using fraudulent social security numbers or ITIN’s, they pay
If you’ve been following my blog since it started, you may recall my short article on why the economic recession is good for startups. Essentially, technology acts as a catalyst to economic recovery which creates opportunity for startups. Recently, I went over the TED spread. Banks may be unthawing the credit freeze between themselves, but they aren’t necessarily being more lax with consumer credit. You could say they’ve learned their lesson. So, if you are looking to start a new business, where can you look for funding (once you’ve created a strong business plan)? Friends and Family Before you start hitting the ol’ family up, try and fund the venture out of your own
This is a question I have heard discussed quite frequently… especially recently. I’ve heard it from both family members and co-workers. It’s a good question and one I love to hear. Often times I believe the people have reached the wrong conclusion, but the important thing is that they are thinking about their financial situation. If you do the wrong thing but had the right intention, I couldn’t give you more credit. In the end, we can educate you to make the right decision for the right reasons. The Question A typical question might be framed as: My husband and I owe another $60,000 on our house (mortgage) which has a fixed-rate interest rate of 5.25%. We have
Would you like to refinance your home? Although many people see refinancing a mortgage as a benefit, there are other things that you should consider as well. Remember that mortgage refinancing is not only about getting a lower monthly payment.
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Young people worry about money quite a bit. Trying to make ends meet and maintain some semblance of a social life is no easy balance to strike. Without proper planning and careful budgeting, you could run into a financial disaster that wipes you of your savings and damages your credit score.
Thankfully, there are many proven ways to effectively budget your money and get a grasp on your personal finances so that you can stop thinking about money all the time.
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Learning how to incorporate fitness into your corporate lifestyle can be tough, but let’s face it, we aren’t as young as we used to be. Many adults are being tested and treated for high blood pressure and heart disease, and staying active can play a serious role in aging in a healthy and happy way.
Not only does exercise help decrease your risk for heart disease, but it can also help relieve stress, help you manage your weight, improve your mood, and help you sleep.
MLRs Note: This article isn’t about personal finance in the literal sense. However, as you are reading the article, think about how the lessons pertain to personal finance, too (e.g. buddy up, ask questions, etc).
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We live in a fast paced world. You know this and I know this. Everything we do, we’re always looking for something that’s better, faster, quicker, cheaper. We don’t take the time to do the old fashioned things anymore – take long walks, go out to eat at restaurants and see a long movie after.
Ok, some of us still do this, but the majority doesn’t. The reality is, grabbing something quick to eat and coming home to watch something, when we want to, is way more appealing than planning a time to go to the movies.
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It wasn’t that long ago that I was writing multiple times per week. And then I changed jobs, bought a house, and did a bunch of other stuff. However, some normalization has returned and I fully intend to “be back” once again.
As Heraclitus said in Ancient Greece, the only constant is change. And before moving on to the future, I wanted to let you all know what I have been up to. Here is a brief synopsis of the past year!
I was working as a supervisor in the supply chain of a Fortune 100 company.
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I'm MLR. After graduating from college debt free, I decided to write a blog encouraging people to adapt responsible and sensible personal finance rules.
If you or someone you know could benefit from learning about personal finance through both my failures and successes, please get my free financial tips.
