by J. Money on Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Hey guys! Been watching a TON of great movies recently, and thought we’d reminisce a bit on all those AWESOME money movies out there :) I could only come up with a good 5-6 myself, so mad thanks to my VIP crew and twitter followers for the reminders. My goldfish-memory just ain’t the same anymore…
Then check out the end for a surprise giveaway! But no cheating. You’ve got to see what I missed first before you can finalize your answer ;) Enjoy!
Top 10 Best Financial Movies
1. Wall Street
“In this riveting, behind-the-scenes look at big business in the 1980’s, an ambitious young broker (Charlie Sheen) is lured into the illegal, lucrative world of corporate espionage when he is seduced by the power, status and financial wizardry of Wall Street legend Gordon Gekko (Michael Douglas). But he soon discovers that the pursuit of overnight riches comes at a price that’s too high to pay.”- Amazon
(Wall Street) |
2. Glengarry GlenRoss
“Times are tough in a New York real-estate office; the salesmen are given a strong incentive to succeed in a sales contest. First prize is a Cadillac Eldorado, second prize is a set of steak knives, third prize is the sack! There is no room for losers in this dramatically masculine world; only “closers” will get the good sales leads. There is a lot of pressure to succeed, so a robbery is committed which has unforeseen consequences for all the characters.” – IMBD (Gengarry GlenRoss) |
3. Trading Places
“Mortimer and Randolph Duke are commodity brokers who enjoy a little wager now and then. For the latest bet, Randolph believes they can take a common criminal and make him a successful businessman in the company. The criminal, Billy Ray, is to be given the job and home of Louis, who in turn is set up for crimes he didn’t commit, to see if he resorts to crime once he’s lost his rich environment and friends.”- IMBD
(Trading Places) |
4. Boiler Room
“Seth Davis (Giovanni Ribisi) is a 19-year-old college dropout who strives for approval from his father, a judge who is horrified that his son operates a 24-hour illicit casino. When an old friend visits the casino with a fellow broker, Davis is impressed by their wads of money and yellow Ferrari, and decides to join the firm… But the dream fades when Davis discovers the scam that is making all of the brokers wealthy…”
- Amazon (Boiler Room) |
5. Brewster’s Millions
“Richard Pryor is Montgomery Brewster, a minor league baseball pitcher who discovers he has to blow $30 million on 30 days as a condition to inherit a much greater fortune. Here’s the catch: He will forfeit everything if he reveals to a soul the real reason he seems to be throwing away all that cash. With the help of his pal Spike (John Candy), they set off on a frantic spending spree.” – Amazon
(Brewster’s Millions) |
6. It Could Happen To You
“Charlie and Muriel Lang have led simple lives – until they win $4 million on the lottery! There is a problem, however. Prior to winning, Charlie had eaten at a cafe and hadn’t been able to tip the waitress. He had promised her, jokingly, that if he won the lottery he’d give her half of it. This is why his wife, Muriel decides to leave him. She doesn’t want the waitress to get a cent of their money…”- IMBD
(It Could Happen To You) |
7. The Money Pit
“Walter Fielding and Anna Crowley have to start looking for a new house- but there’s not much they can afford! This soon changes when they meet a lonely old con-artist who sells them a beautiful mansion at a ridiculously low price. Only there’s a catch. The second Walter and Anna move in to the house it falls apart, starting from the stairway, to the bath falling through the roof to eventually the chimney falling into the house!” – IMBD (The Money Pit) |
8. Jerry Maguire
“Jerry Maguire used to be a typical sports agent: willing to do just about anything he could to get the biggest possible contracts for his clients. Then, one day, he suddenly has second thoughts about what he’s really doing. When he voices these doubts, he ends up losing his job and all of his clients, save Rod Tidwell, an egomaniacal football player. Can Jerry resurrect his career while still staying true to himself?” – Amazon (Jerry Maguire) |
9. Money For Nothing
“After finding a bagful of unmarked $100 bills, unemployed dockworker Joey Coyle had a million reasons to give the money back, but he couldn’t think of one! And when he decides to keep it, oh what a price he pays! The lucky discovery launches a buying spree and a series of uproarious events leading to Joey’s outrageous attempt at sneaking out of the country past the media, the mob, and the cops.” – Amazon (Money For Nothing) |
10. Office Space
“Unable to endure another mind-numbing day at Initech Corporation, cubicle slave Peter Gibbons (Ron Livingston) gets fired up and decides to get fired. Armed with a leisurely new attitude and a sexy new girlfriend, he soon masters the art of neglecting his work, which quickly propels him into the ranks of upper management! Now the stage is set for Peter to carry out a high-tech embezzling scheme…” – Amazon (Office Space) |
Honorable Mentions:
- Family Man
- The Secret of My Success
- Indecent Proposal
And now the Ultimate DVD Giveaway!
We’re giving away TWO Wall Street DVD packs courtesy of my good friends at Go Baking Rates! A site created to improve the way people connect to the banks and financial institutions they use every day.
These movies include Wall Street, Boiler Room, and Glengarry GlenRoss. All you have to do to enter is tell us which is YOUR favorite financial movie! That’s it! Just do one of the following:
- Drop a comment with your fave $ movie below
- Or tweet it around (ex. “My fave money move is Boiler Room! Which is yours? (http://tinyurl.com/24r3p7a via @BudgetsAreSexy)”) Just be sure to let me know you tweeted it though so I can count you in :)
I’ll leave this open for a week, and then announce the winners next Tuesday, September 14th after hitting up good ol’ Random.org. Good luck everyone! ALWAYS BE CLOSING!!!
by J. Money on Monday, September 6, 2010
YES! Actually, HELL YES! When they say “it’s the 4 best years of your life” they’re not kidding ;) College was by far one of the most exciting and eye-opening experiences of my life, and the amount I grew from it (both intellectually and just overall in general) was incredible.
To me, college is much more than just an education and fancy degrees – it’s about learning how to be out on your own and finding your place in this world. I learned about interacting with people, managing my time (which I later forgot), falling in love, falling out of love, being responsible, partying and partying and studying and studying! (more than ever before), and just really being an adult and taking on the next chapter in life.
While it’s definitely possible to do this without any further education at all (you surely don’t need a degree to be successful!), the opportunities that it offers are endless. I’d recommend it even if you have no idea of what you wanted to be when you “grow up.” (I changed majors twice, and only recently did I even start using my degree in the real world).
But having that degree puts you at the top of the list. It gives you options that others don’t easily get for the pure fact you graduated – whether you’re truly smarter or more experienced than the others or not (and in most cases, you can’t even APPLY to a job without some sort of degree!). It also makes you look professional even if you aren’t ;) And first impressions are everything in the business world.
So would I recommend putting in the time and money for 4+ gloriously long years of schooling? You bet your sweet ass I would. The truth of the matter is, there is no way I could have gotten to where I am today without getting that degree. I highly encourage you to do whatever you can to make it to college. Take out loans, apply to grants, go in-state instead of out of state, start at community college, ask your parents and family to help, whatever it takes. (I will even contribute myself if you ask nicely! :)). If you like having the odds in your favor, an education is where it’s at.
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PS: I got thinking about this stuff from a group writing project going around on education and wealth. If you want to read other opinions on this topic (much more in-depth than mine!), or want to participate by blogging about it yourself, be sure to check it out! Big props to Go Banking Rates for organizing it.
(Crazy college pic by Adam, L’Iconoclaste Banal)
by J. Money on Friday, September 3, 2010
Today’s mission is to check up on ‘em and really see what’s going on.
How are they doing? Have you been nurturing them and helping them grow? Is this the first time you’ve thought about them in 9 months? :)
To be completely honest, I’ve totally forgotten what mine even were! So I’m gonna to go back to my new years post right now and copy/paste them here, and then we’ll all see how awesome or not I’m doing – haha… I suggest you do the same! Unless, of course, they no longer apply, but usually they still do since we tend to pick really important and/or HUGE gargantuan goals every year.
Here’s what I had listed in January:
- To max out my 401(k)s AND Roth IRA again.
- To help Mrs. Budgetsaresexy max out HER Roth too.
- To reach a Net Worth of $200k.
- And lastly, to better manage my time! (Why is that always so hard?)
I gotta laugh on that last one :) I am in the EXACT same boat as I was when I wrote that, haha…. still not good at prioritizing, and still not good at sleeping more (in fact, I’m now averaging 4-5 hrs of sleep a night instead of 6-7 back in the day).
As for the others, it seems I kinda cheated and picked goals I’m always trying to do anyways! Which is good for completing them more and staying on track, but not so much in growing and aiming for something bigger. But what’s better than financial freedom, anyways? haha…
My progress so far:
- Maxing out 401k & Roth – DONE! Crazy early too since I front loaded my investments this year (to make sure I got all my matches and before I changed my mind ;))
- Max out the Mrs. Roth – 10% complete? We finally opened one up for her this year, and converted older Traditional IRA plans into the new Roth, but we’ve only thrown in a few hundred so far. I’m not sure if it makes sense to max this out yet until we figure out my 9-5 nonsense.
- Reach a $200k Net Worth – Slowwwwwwly getting there but it’s seeming more and more out of my control for the rest of the year. Most of my investments are now in (except for some outstanding issues I’m dealing with which I unfortunately can’t get into here), so it’s really up to the markets and any extra savings that hit from my side hustles. Ya never know though, we’ve still got 3 months left…
- Managing my time – yeah, pretty much a big fat goose egg. I’d say I’ll start working on it again but I just don’t have the time!!! :)
Overall, it looks like we’re doing okay (as long as you count 1 for 4 “okay”). So I’m gonna stay the course and wait to come up with some fresher/more interesting resolutions for next year. Now it’s your turn. What’s the status on YOUR resolutions? Are you still fighting the good fight, or have you lost all motivation? Let us know so we can give ya a high-five, or a down low – ” oops, too slow!”
by J. Money on Friday, September 3, 2010
Happy 3 Day weekend coming up!!! I cannot wait. I’m going to sleep a lot, watch t.v. a lot, go on walks a lot, and then drink some beers a lot ;) So get excited! One more work day to go!
Some fave reads (and carnivals) from the week:
by J. Money on Thursday, September 2, 2010
My boy Nate and the ItStartsWith.Us team is at it again. Using the forces of good to help give back even more! If there’s something you’ve always wanted to do to help someone, or a group of someones, let us know :) Your idea just might be picked to help launch our newest venture! (and I say “our” because I’m a proud member myself – W00T!). For more info on Open-Source Project, click here. To submit a project idea, email here: nate @ itstartswith.us.
by J. Money on Thursday, September 2, 2010
Wow this month flew by.
I swear it feels like yesterday that I just updated this. Yet another reason why putting a game plan into motion is key!
Time will continue to go on and on no matter what we do, so you start saving that money and cutting that debt week by week and eventually you’ll be wealthy without even realizing it :)
That is if these stock markets don’t crash to oblivion. But we’d have much larger problems than our finances if that were to happen. I just watched the movie 2012 and THAT would be scary! All the global warming and nature stuff is what freaks me out – no money in the world can stop a world-wide tsunami from hitting you! (*shiver*)
For now though, we just keep doing our best to manage our money and pump up the stuff that works, and cut out the stuff that doesn’t. Here’s what August ended up looking like…
Net Worth break down: August, 2010
CASH SAVINGS (+$9,120.28): Still stashing as much cash as I possibly can! This includes anything extra from my biweekly paychecks, side projects, and anything else I can get my hands on too. I won’t stop until I reach my goal of $50,000! (which is currently at $30,000 right now – the other $20k in this “cash savings” number includes this “going solo” goal among other funds from other places.)
EMERGENCY FUND ($0.00): Nothing added or subtracted – Only for TRUE emergencies!
ROTH IRAs (-$1,111.62): Nothing much going on here – all maxed out for the year so it’s totally in the hands of the markets. (Not even Buffett is helping me! ;))
401(k)s (-$4,869.10): Same with this bad boy. All maxed out and just chillin’ now until the next year’s fresh start (although I have a horrible feeling all my matches are out the window…at this point just hoping our company KEEPS the 401k plan! It’s getting rough over here….)
AUTOS WORTH (kbb) (+$265.00): Don’t ask. Every other month these numbers fluctuate, but it’s what KBB is reporting.
- Pimp Daddy Caddy: $2,735.00
- Gas Ticklin’ Toyota: $9,800.00
HOME VALUE (Realtor) ($0.00): Still @ $300k as our realtor set it at a while back. Our neighbor’s house had an offer of $297k a few months ago on their house, so I’m thinking this is a reasonable estimate.
CREDIT CARDS (-$200.00): I’m gonna admit this is taking longer than I like. I know I could xfer over cash from my $50k goal, but in this point of the game the “going solo” part is just more important to me right now. I don’t mind paying a few bucks interest every month until it’s all wiped away, go ahead and make fun of me if you want ;)
MORTGAGES (-$4.78): Nothing new to report here. Just like our credit card, this is currently taking a back seat.
- Mortgage #1: $286,818.64 – 30 year fixed, interest-only @ 6.875%.
- Mortgage #2: $62,554.19 – Maxed out HELOC w/ 2.8% interest.
And that wraps up August! I don’t foresee anything crazy happening in September, but you never can tell in this beautiful life of ours. I’ll be taking a trip out to Poland soon, but as long as I watch my conversion rates and stay away from the bars I should be fine ;) Here’s to success!
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PS: My personal budget has also been updated, and you can download it (and others) here.
PPS: I finally watched Inception! And now I keep trying to plant things in my wife’s dreams… I don’t think it’s working.
by J. Money on Wednesday, September 1, 2010
In case you’re un-cool and unaware, National Coupon Month starts today!!! There’s even a whole website dedicated to it: http://www.nationalcouponmonth.com/
3 interesting facts and then I’ll let you go celebrate:
- 97% of consumers want to know the cost of an item before buying.
- 91% of shoppers would walk away from the “perfect sweater” if it wasn’t on sale.
- Coca-Cola invented the FIRST coupon!! It was hand written, dating back to 1887. (More info here…Coke lore also says they invented the modern day Santa Claus “look” too!)
Okay actually I lied about letting you go so quickly. Before I could post this up Mrs. BudgetsAreSexy chimed in and started telling me all about her run-in with some crazy coupon lady at the grocery store yesterday :) I told her the lady was probably getting geared up for National Coupon Month but she wasn’t buying it. Instead, she offered to share her own thoughts on the subject matter. So, in the spirit of couponing, please to enjoy my wife! (that sounded bad, didn’t it?)
Based on my lengthy wait behind Miss Coupon Crazy this afternoon, here are a few thoughts on the pros and cons of coupon clipping (specifically, for grocery stores):
Why coupons are awesome:
- You save $
- Fun family activity? (or at least, you could argue that clipping coupons might teach your kids a good lesson…or serve as a creative punishment for wrongdoing)
- You can feel accomplished and proactive about reducing your grocery bill
- Potential to find a good product that you might not otherwise have used (since you are more likely to buy it with a a good coupon!)
Why coupons are the opposite of awesome:
- Clipping coupons sucks
- It’s often hard to remember to bring coupons along to the store
- Using them at the register can be aggravating to others (mainly, the cashier and/or the people behind you who have to wait those precious extra seconds)
- With many grocery coupons offering just $.10-$.50 off, the money saved per coupon usually seems pretty insignificant (and disproportionate to the effort required to use it)
- Clipping coupons sucks
The dedicated coupon-clipper, however, can probably attest to the fact that it can be a big money saver in the long run. E.g., Miss Coupon Crazy, whose extra 20 minutes of sorting, tearing, and handing over a mountain of coupons resulted in a pretty giant reduction of her even more giant grocery bill — from $376 to $318. That’s a whole $58 that could go towards so many other things! …Like candy bars and magazines in the check-out lane. :)
PS: According to National Coupon Month’s website, just spending 20 minutes a week clipping and clicking could save you over $1,000 annually! Do you think that’s true? How much do you reckon YOU save every year clipping/clicking coupons?
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Thanks to Lina for the head’s up on coupon month! If you reside in Canada, check out her Coupon Tracker application. And thanks also to Lomo-Cam for the awesome pic.
by J. Money on Tuesday, August 31, 2010
I am wondering because I may or may not like to draw on ‘em, A LOT. And I’ve never heard of anyone getting arrested or even receive a firm talking to for drawing on money. My sister once got a nice little visit from the FBI because her friend was passing around *fake* dollars she had made on her dad’s scanner, but I think counterfeiting money is way different than prettying them up. Or making art projects out of them.
When I google it, I get this:
Yes, it is called Mutilation of national bank obligations
United States Code
TITLE 18 – CRIMES AND CRIMINAL PROCEDURE
PART I – CRIMES
CHAPTER 17 – COINS AND CURRENCY
§ 333. Mutilation of national bank obligations
“Whoever mutilates, cuts, defaces, disfigures, or perforates, or unites or cements together, or does any other thing to any bank bill, draft, note, or other evidence of debt issued by any national banking association, or Federal Reserve bank, or the Federal Reserve System, with intent to render such bank bill, draft, note, or other evidence of debt unfit to be reissued, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than six months, or both.”
OMG I’m going to jail. But what If I never put it back into circulation? What if I have a wall, let’s say, full of dollars I drew all over to show my fellow Americans how proud I am of our George Washingtons and Benji Franklins? If they never see another cash register again, do I get leniency? Could it then be considered “art?” I hope so… not that I already have this wall or anything…
And what of my J. Money icon? Or my image from yesterday’s post? If it’s digital, it’s not really REAL, right? Could one of these doodled dollars be the same as the other digital dollars when I log onto online banking? I’m kinda perplexed, but I also kinda don’t wanna know the answers either.
I like the idea of expressing myself on federal reserve paper. I don’t know many other places I could get a 2.61″ by 6.14″ canvas for so cheap! I worked hard for those dollars, and I feel like if I don’t want to trade it for something of equal or less value, I shouldn’t have to. But don’t go telling the police. If they were to show up I can’t promise I’d be so brave.
by J. Money on Monday, August 30, 2010
Hello. I’m from Georgia. My name is Lasha. Maybe you will seem ugly, but I have no other choice. I really in bad condition, however, forgive you for forgiveness, I want to ask you money. I’m very hard to explain what my problem. I beg you, do not understand me wrong.
I know how stupid it sounds, but I’ll give them a few years.
I’m very in bad condition. and not only me. This is an extreme case.
I beg you. if possible lend me money and I promise I’ll give them. no longer know how to ask. I am very ashamed of this but most do not see a way out of this situation.
I am very difficult to explain the details, but it saves not only one person.
Urgently need money 180 000 $
I know it is not easy.
I beg you to help with all my heart and soul.help me please…
#FAIL
by J. Money on Monday, August 30, 2010
I got this email from BillShrink.com the other day and couldn’t help but pass it along :) There’s something about it that just says “Hey you! Stop what you’re doing and pay attention! Your money needs you!” Haha…
Some of these are pretty lame, but the majority of them are right on the money and should def. get you to think. I had to take a few seconds and research at least 3 of them to see if I needed a makeover or not ;) And that’s really why I’m posting them up here today – not just because it’s a catchy headline.
Here are all 20 signs below. Billshrink is in bold, and J. Money is in plain. How many do you need to correct?
- You charge group dinners on your card and keep your friends’ cash to spend. I actually don’t mind doing this myself as it saves me a trip to the ATM if I need the cash, but if you’re just being stupid and thinking it’s “free money” to go and blow anytime then yeah – you need a financial makeover.
- You spend more than 40% of your total income on rent. The last time I calculated this we were spending 37% of our total (net) income on mortgages. And I’ll admit it’s not very savvy. But I’ll also point out that we got ourselves into this BEFORE Mr. J. Money came about ;) So I agree with this one here – ya gotta keep your rent/mortgages way below that 40% line.
- You’re constantly transferring your balance to get 0% interest on your credit card debt. Bad if you don’t know what you’re doing, but good if you’re Jonathan from My Money Blog (the expert in xfering $20,000+ and milking the extra hundreds of dollars in interest every year;))
- You pay off one credit card with another. Yes, BAD!!
- Less than 10% of your income goes to your retirement savings. (Or worse, zero percent!) I wouldn’t say you need a total makeover if you were saving 10% really, even though everyone would love to see you saving 15% or even 25%, but definitely saving 0% is a troubling sign.
- You have a credit card that doesn’t give you anything in return, like cash back or airline miles. Haha…well this isn’t the worst thing in the world, but it is a good idea to check and makes sure you’re getting *something* in return for doing nothing ;) You don’t have to do anything different than you’re doing now!
- You don’t know what IRA means outside of Ireland. (is that supposed to be a joke?)
- You pay the minimum balance on your credit card each month.Not the best habit to get into, that’s for sure. If at all possible you should be adding in at least $25-$50 more every month to help knock it away as fast as you can. I once paid $2,000 for a $1,200 computer back in the day because I kept just telling myself “I’ll do it tomorrow.” Make tomorrow, today!
- You don’t open your credit card statement because you can’t bear to see how high the balance is. Oh yeah, definitely not a good sign. You HAVE TO KNOW what you’re dealing with so that you can fix it and get right back on track! And this goes for savings and investments too. If you don’t KNOW what’s going on you’ll just keep sinking and sinking until it takes something tragic to snap you out of it.
- You don’t keep receipts because they remind you of what you’ve spent. Haha…that’s actually pretty clever ;) STUPID, but clever. Maybe these people should switch to debit cards instead? (I’m assuming they’re using credit cards which allow them to spend way more than they have due to credit limits and such. With debit cards though, you have a breaking point! Once you hit $0.00 you can’t pick up anything else.)
- You know your company has a 401k plan, but you have no idea what that is. My favorite tool ever! Just call up HR real quick (right now, actually, stop reading this!!) and ask how much your company matches. Then, tell your sweet old HR lady (or man) that you’d like to contribute that exact same # and make sure to fill out whatever forms you need to do ASAP. Even if you never look at it again, that one move you just made will hook you up years and years to come. So do it!
- You withdraw cash frequently from ATM’s that aren’t affiliated with your bank. I don’t know if this one applies as much as maybe it used to. Many banks now reimburse you for your fees so it doesn’t matter where you go (at least online banks do – like my fave USAA, baby!)
- The number of credit cards in your wallet is higher than the number of dates you’ve had this year. Hahahhahaa…..didn’t see that one coming :)
- You buy so much on eBay that they’ve awarded you VIP status. Wha wha wha….
- You want to start a savings account, but then sale season starts again! Is it me or are these going down hill?
- You don’t have an emergency fund to pay bills should you lose your job. Back in action! YES, emergency funds are KEY to any financial game plan. Whether it’s $100, or $1,000, be sure to be stashing some aside for when you least expect it!
- Your monthly extra cell phone minute charges are bigger than your monthly electric bill. (I had to go look up my own electric bill to see if this is a good gauge or not, and indeed I think it may. Although if we’re talking about overall cell phone bills and not just “minute charges” then the iPhone kills us!)
- You overdraw on your checking account more than once a year. Hmmm… once is kinda strict. I’d say not more than 3 times a year cuz sometimes weird things just happen. Although if you were really on top of it you’d sign up for overdraft protection (the kinds that don’t cost you any money!) so that you’d be safe just in case you got a little crazy here and there.
- You live paycheck to paycheck. This should be the #1 sign you need a makeover, hands down. Living paycheck to paycheck is a recipe for disaster, and I know 80% of you reading this right now are in this boat :( I was too!!! For 25 years of my life! If you haven’t been serious about making a change, please start today. There are plenty of ways you can get yourself in better position, you just have to get on it and really commit. Start tracking your money and finding where all your spending leaks are! Picking up a hustle on the side will help too.
- You spend more on new shoes annually than you save. Oh wow, that would not be good. I think I’ve spent around $200 so far on shoes this year – and 2 of those were on new cleats that needed replacing. I would punch myself in the face if I was saving less than that every year :(
Were any of you surprised with your answers to some of these? Did it get you to double check and see if you’re truly on track or not? Again, some of these were pretty crazy and more entertaining than anything, but hopefully it moved a few marbles upstairs and will prompt you to start researching any areas that may need improvement. It’s always a work in progress :)
(This also reminded me of how much I wanna see a reality tv show come out on this! Especially since The Bank of Mom and Dad is over :( Pass this along to any Hollywood producers you know of! )
