The Exclusive Investment Playground: Cracking Open Private Equity
On a recent Level Up Podcast episode, co-host Addison Wiggin posed a provocative question to Certified Financial Planner Preston Zapffe: Should 401(k) funds be allowed…
Tag: Personal Finance
The $1-a-Day Snowball
You don’t need a windfall. Or a miracle. Or a sudden six-figure job offer. You need a dollar. Not a metaphorical one. A literal, wrinkled,…
From Patience to Plastic: America Became a Nation of Consumers
There was a time when people dreamed big, saved slow, and bought only when they had the cash in hand. Our grandparents told stories of…
Why They Don’t Teach This Stuff in School (And What You Can Do About It Now)
If you made it through high school, you probably learned how to factor a polynomial, label a mitochondrion, or regurgitate the causes of the War…
Side Hustles & Smart Money: Earning Your Way Out of Debt
There’s a certain kind of survival mode that only some people understand. The kind where you count change before buying milk. Where you skip meals…
Why Is It So Hard to Pay Off Your Credit Card? (Part 3)
Part 3: Lifestyle Creep — The Slow Drift That Becomes the Avalanche You had a few splurges. Then came the crisis—car repairs, a medical bill,…
A Decade of Dollars, Discipline, and Dodging Debt in the U.S. Army
I joined the United States Army at the tender age of 20, armed with youthful enthusiasm, a wife, and a baby on the way. I…
Why Is It So Hard to Pay Off Your Credit Card? (Part 2)
Part 2: Crisis Spending — When “No” Isn’t an Option In Part 1, we talked about the “Yes Trap”—how seeing a generous available balance on…
Why Don’t We Talk About Money?
Talking Will Lead To A Healthier Relationship With Your Money The CIDS Series, Part 1: Shhhh We’ve come a long way as a society when…
Why Is It So Hard to Pay Off Your Credit Card?
Part 1: The “Yes” Trap — How Available Balance Leads to Debt Quicksand You’re making payments. You’re trying to get ahead. But no matter how…