Everyone tells you that the real world begins when you’re out of school. Once you’re done with school, you need to grow up and enter the real world. The games and childish fun are now over. It’s time to get a real job. It’s time to get married and buy a house. Then wait a few years and have kids. Then let them repeat the process while you wait to retire.
“If you’re five years old and say you want to be an astronaut, your parents tell you that you can be anything you want to be. It’s harmless, like telling a child that Santa Claus exists. If you pass 25 and announce you want to float in space or sail around the world, the response is different: be realistic, become a lawyer or an accountant or a doctor, have babies, and raise them to repeat the cycle. Put all of your disposable income in a 401(k) and do your best to enjoy your “too-weak” vacation.” – Tim Ferriss
I keep on getting bothered by friends that don’t understand what I’m doing. They ask me about why I don’t have a real job or why I don’t get into the real world.
I wanted to look at why I’m not technically in the real world right now…
When you start your first job after college you might have to wait a long time before you get to travel or take any time off. I wanted to try to travel the world as much as possible in my 20s. Since I graduated from college I’ve been on six trips and I finally got to backpack through Europe by myself. I believe that I still have a few good long distance trips left in my tank.
I’m not motivated to work on stuff that I don’t care about. I can’t put all my energy into something unless I’m totally into it (ask any of my ex-girlfriends). The beauty of not finding a full-time job yet is that I’m able to focus on my own projects (freelance work, building up my site, and other random activities). Most of my friends that found steady gigs complain to me about how they have no motivation after a boring day of mundane work and that they don’t feel creatively fulfilled. I’m proud to have the luxury to work on my own projects for now.
I worked full-time hours during college so that I didn’t graduate with any debt. I didn’t want to be desperate for work after college. I didn’t want to be chasing after any random job. I wanted to be able to pick-and-choose and do what I want. I’m grateful every single day for the fact that my parents let me stay at home for free while I hustled through college. Being able to pick up my degree without the stress of student loans is one of the best feelings in my opinion.
I also didn’t max out my credit card or anything like that either. I made some foolish moves with my money, but I was able to recover by working even harder. My only debt right now is my home mortgage, but I don’t mind that because it’s a rental property and at this point I’m not losing any money.
Those three factors are why I still haven’t entered the real world. I don’t know what’s next, but I’m pretty pumped about life right now.
Are you in the real world?
View full post on The Financial Blogger
Compare Your Budget With Other US Consumers and the World
April 15th, 2012 | Posted by Global InvestorsThe NYT Economix blog and a new BLS report had some nice graphics comparing how the average consumer spends their money in the US, Canada, United Kingdom, and Japan. The data is from 2009.
Compared with the other countries, Americans spent more of their budgets on housing and health care, and less on recreation and entertainment. The Japanese spent the largest share on food, with a higher percentage spent on food than even housing. This is somewhat surprising, given the stereotype of small living spaces in Japan and large living spaces in the US. But remember, these are percentages and not absolute numbers.
You might think that out-of-pocket healthcare costs are lower in the other countries due to government-subsidized universal health care, but the Economix article points out that the total healthcare expenditures per capita in the US are also much higher (around double) those of other countries. I can’t believe they spend more on clothing than healthcare! Of course, my wardrobe turnover rate has been described as “glacial”.
Our spending breakdown still has a much, much bigger slice going towards housing, and a much smaller slice going towards transportation and food. We are lucky to have nice employer-sponsored health insurance.
Related posts:
Compare Your Budget With Other US Consumers and the World from My Money Blog.
© MyMoneyBlog.com, 2012.
View full post on My Money Blog
You Can Learn Anything in This World
March 30th, 2012 | Posted by Global InvestorsIt was the summer of 2010. One of my favorite summers ever. I had just gotten the keys to my rental property. Instead of renting it out right away, I decided to live there with a buddy that would pay me rent. We decided to make it the best summer ever. We were both done with college, making money, and interested in having a blast while we worked hard as well.
One hot morning we were having breakfast. I had the biggest smile on my face for this particular breakfast. Why was I smiling? Let’s just say I didn’t make it home the night before. After telling my friends all about my night before, one friend turns to me and says that I’m lucky that I work out because it makes it easier to meet women when you work out. Another friend at the table looked at me and winked.
The truth is that my goal in 2010 was to learn how to improve my dating skills. This is something that many will say is a topic that you can’t read about. Well guess what? I read about it and learned plenty. My friend forced me to read some pick up material. I was hesitant at first, but then he agreed to read some of my material on blogging and lifestyle design. What I learned that summer increased my confidence as a public speaker, young entrepreneur, and young adult.
Where am I going with this? I’m not trying to make myself look like an idiot. I wanted to prove a point with my brief story…
You can learn anything in this world.
You don’t believe me? Go to Google and um, Google it! Look around. Type in something new. You’ll be pleasantly surprised by all of the answers that you find. Within minutes you can learn all that you need to know on a certain topic.
The truth is that you can learn anything that you want. All you have to do is look for the plethora of answers available on the Internet and all around you. You then have to filter the information out, avoid information overload, and slowly learn about that new topic that’s been on your mind for the longest time.
Now that you know this information, what are you going to do about it? Are you going to attempt to learn something new?
What are some ways that you can waste time learning?
What are some productive ways to learn something?
You can learn anything that you want. The only thing stopping you is you. I just wanted to remind you that you can take 20 minutes a day or a few hours this weekend to sit down and put your mind to that project that has been on your mind. I decided to read a little bit in Polish online every single day so that I don’t lose my ability to read in my second language. What are you going to learn?
“An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.” — Benjamin Franklin
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Michael Lewis’s New Book – Boomerang: Travels in the New Third World – Free Copy Online
October 13th, 2011 | Posted by Global Investors
I’ve enjoyed every Michael Lewis book that I’ve read, from Liar’s Poker to Moneyball to The Blind Side. Reading his writing is as easy as listening to a great storyteller, making the most mundane subjects interesting. I’ve been hearing about his new book Boomerang: Travels in the New Third World, and was surprised learn from Felix Salmon of Reuters that the book is simply a collection of previously written articles from Vanity Fair magazine. Articles that are still available, for free, online!
I looked inside a copy of the book, and it’s true. Amazon reviews confirm it. The articles are the same, word for word. You can even read the only “new” thing, the Preface, online for free at Amazon since it’s the “free first chapter”. I don’t feel bad sharing this, since Vanity Fair paid Lewis good money to write these articles, put them up publicly with ads, and no doubt enjoy the traffic. So if you want to read Boomerang electronically, the Table of Contents of the book is below. I used Instapaper on my iPod Touch and read parts of them while waiting at the doctor’s office.
Preface: The Biggest Short – Amazon book page (“Read first chapter FREE”)
I. Wall Street on the Tundra – Iceland (Partial only, but Archive.org has the entire article. Thanks to reader Travis.)
II. And They Invented Math – Greece
III. Ireland’s Original Sin – Ireland
IV. The Secret Lives of Germans – Germany
V. Too Fat To Fly – California
Warning: Reading this book will make you some combination of scared, angry, and depressed. I’ve only read the Preface, Greece, and California chapters, and I’m already seriously thinking of buying some gold and guns to join my food hoard. I remind myself that Lewis is a gifted storyteller, but some people still disagree with they see as oversimplification and broad stereotyping of cultures. But just going by the hard numbers given, I’m still worried.
* Update: The Iceland article has been changed to only a partial stub at VanityFair.com, pushing you to buy the book “The Hangover” to read the rest. Interesting, the same article recycled in two separate books. The rest of the articles are still up, but I’d print to PDF or similar in case they change them as well. The Iceland article was free to read for years before this book came out, so it’s still out there if you look hard enough. Update 2: A couple of astute readers found saved versions. I recommend visiting this Archive.org link and saving it quickly.
Related posts:
Michael Lewis’s New Book – Boomerang: Travels in the New Third World – Free Copy Online from My Money Blog.
© MyMoneyBlog.com, 2011.
View full post on My Money Blog
Citi Dividend World MasterCard – 5% Cash Back on Rotating Categories + $300 Cash Bonus
August 30th, 2011 | Posted by Global Investors
The battle to be the credit card inside your wallet or purse heats up again! Citibank has a new offer for the Citi Dividend World Mastercard with an improved sign-up bonus of $300 cash after making $5,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of the account opening. (There is still same card with the original $100 cash bonus for $500 in purchases, if you prefer.) In addition, there is a good rewards program to keep you interested, offering 5% back on different rotating categories every 3 months.
From 7/1/11 to 9/30/11, you’ll get 5% cash back on airlines, hotels and car rentals. On all other purchases, you get 1% cash back with no tiers. After you get your card, you must enroll by logging into your account online or calling 1-800-231-0891. There is no cap on the 5% back, except for the $300 overall cap on all dividend rewards earned annually (sign-up bonus doesn’t count). This card has no annual fee, so I can still keep it around specifically as a 5% cash back card.
Chase has their similar Chase Freedom Visa card, which is recently increased their promo offer to a $200 cash bonus (coincidence?) and 5% back on gas, airlines, and hotels. Must spend $500 in 3 months. No annual fee. While there is often overlap, having cards from different issuers allows higher spending limits and different categories at times.
Compare with other $500+ credit card bonuses available, but remember that this card has an ongoing benefit as well as no annual fee.
Related posts:
Citi Dividend World MasterCard – 5% Cash Back on Rotating Categories + $300 Cash Bonus from My Money Blog.
© MyMoneyBlog.com, 2011.
View full post on My Money Blog
World Hunger Issues To Grow As Food Prices Double, Study Says
June 1st, 2011 | Posted by Global InvestorsA young Guatemalan father works six days a week, 10-12 hours a day as a harvester on a plantation — but some days he and his family go hungry.
The Guardian tells the family’s story as an example of complex hunger issues worldwide — which could get worse.
Global food prices could double in the next 20 years due to a population increase, oil price hikes and climate change, according to a new report by Oxfam, an international charity that addresses poverty issues.
View full post on The Full Feed from HuffingtonPost.com
World Vision Continues Multi-State Tornado Response Over Memorial Day Weekend
May 30th, 2011 | Posted by Global InvestorsWhile many Americans will be enjoying a three-day weekend in honor of our nation’s fallen heroes this Memorial Day, tornado response across five states, focused on targeting the most vulnerable, especially children.
Today, World Vision will deploy the second of its two Mobile Distribution Centers from Dallas to Joplin, Missouri. The 53-foot trailers contain disaster relief products such as personal hygiene kits, cleaning supplies and shoes for children—items which the Christian humanitarian organization has found are urgently needed in the devastated town. World Vision deployed its first Mobile Distribution Center to Tuscaloosa, Alabama, last month where to date it has… View full post on Live News from PR-USA.net
As Tornado Destruction Continues, World Vision Offers 8 Tips on How to Talk to Kids About Disasters,
May 29th, 2011 | Posted by Global InvestorsAs news coverage continues of tornado devastation (http://www.worldvision.org/content.nsf/about/southern-tornado-response) across the American South, our children will likely see disturbing news footage and have questions about this tragedy. Below are several suggestions on how to talk with children about this disaster and its impact.
These tips are provided by child-focused humanitarian organization World Vision (http://www.worldvision.org/). World Vision responds to natural disasters in the United States (http://www.worldvision.org/content.nsf/about/press-wvinus-disaster-response-united-states) and around the world, and is providing urgently needed personal hygiene kits, school supplies for children, and cleaning supplies for recovery efforts in Alabama, Missouri, Minnesota, Virginia, and North Carolina.
Talking to kids… View full post on Live News from PR-USA.net
10 Under-The-Radar Islands Of The World (PHOTOS)
May 28th, 2011 | Posted by Global InvestorsHollywood scouts were on to something when they skipped over Mykonos and chose a secret island in Greece as the location for Mamma Mia. The movie was a $600-million hit, in part because it fueled peoples’ fantasies of escaping to a secluded island (and yes, those catchy ABBA tunes didn’t hurt).
Surprisingly, that picture-perfect movie location, Skopelos, has stayed under the radar. There are still gems like Skopelos hidden all around the globe, if you know where to look.
Our friends at Travel +Leisure have done the requisite digging to find places you can truly unwind, from the rugged Chilean spot that inspired the novel Robinson Crusoe to a tiny island in the Caribbean that was virtually deserted for decades until a luxe resort opened in 2010.
View full post on The Full Feed from HuffingtonPost.com
Closet World Recognizes That an Organized Home Can Help Reduce the Amount of Stress in People’s Live
May 27th, 2011 | Posted by Global InvestorsCloset World is an organizing service that offers innovative designs in closet storage and believes home is meant to be a haven from the stresses of the world.
Stress is an increasing problem for many people today, and it negatively impacts health. Stress is linked to heart disease, weakened immune systems, high blood pressure, and more. There are ways to effectively reduce the amount of stress in your life, and Closet World recognizes that using closet organization systems to eliminate household clutter is one of those ways.
Making good use of closet storage helps to eliminate anxiety because household clutter creates stress…. View full post on Live News from PR-USA.net
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