Not all lawyers make a lot of money. And even a high salary might not be enough to live a luxurious lifestyle and pay off debt. Sometimes you just have to go to basics in order to make ends meet – minimalism, frugality, budgeting. It’s being smart, and there’s no reason to feel embarrassed. Every dollar saved goes toward your future – whether in the law or in another profession. Every dollar goes toward your independence.
Recently, more states are adding financial education to their curricula. Some people cheer the change but I question the utility of it. When I was in school, we were taught how to write checks (oh I’m so old). But there are objectively wrong ways to...
It always seems like budgets require perfection. If you bust your budget, it always seems like some sort of moral failing. There is always an assumption that everyone has the ability to meet their budget every month, and it’s not true. There are lots of...
I recently moved apartments and let me tell you: hiring movers is always a good idea. Isn’t it odd that for some services we can do on our own, it’s frowned upon to outsource (e.g. raising your children) whereas others nearly everyone uses a professional...
An ex once told me that I was impossible to embarrass. He was exasperated by this, but I took it as a compliment. (I couldn’t fathom leaving the house if I were as easily embarrassed as him). This lack of embarrassment makes frugal living easy....
Not every legal job pays well and some pay so poorly that lawyers are forced into side hustles. As lawyers, though, side hustles come with a word of caution. Practicing law on the side has a slew of pitfalls that could imperil your job and...
Personal finance is personal – one person can choose vacations over a nice house whereas another person would rather keep her creature comforts (and herself) at home. Both the people listed above are prioritizing what they want – which is good and not cheap. Cheap...
Reading quick money tips is my junk food. But sometimes the tips are so outdated, they leave a bitter taste in my mouth. A lot of (lazy) personal finance writers would argue that their advice is timeless but that cannot be true. The world is...
Many people think the American Dream is dead – but immigrants like my parents continue to escape poverty. Spoiler: it wasn’t primarily through hard work. It’s ingrained in the national psyche that “all you need” to achieve the American Dream is to “work hard.” But...
It’s easy to think that the rich life is the happier life, but it’s sometimes easier to be happy on a low income. Fact of the matter is, opulence can be an impediment to happiness. For instance, my friends still talk about a certain buffet...
The 50-20-30 budget is one of the most popular budgets according to personal finance “experts.” In it, you spend 50% on needs, 20% on savings/debt reduction and 30% on “wants.” This is a terrible plan for almost every income and lifestyle. The 50-30-20 budget is...