Hey hey!
Got another helping of financial knowledge to serve you today, this time from other great people doing great things online :) Below are my favorite articles/videos/sites I came across in July…
If you find something you like, pass it along to your own communities afterwards!
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Dollar Street [Interactive project] via GapMinder.org — “Imagine the world as a street. All houses are lined up by income, the poor living to the left and the rich to the right. Everybody else somewhere in between. Where would you live? Would your life look different than your neighbours’ from other parts of the world, who share the same income level?”
Do You Live in a Home or a Storage Unit? via She Picks Up Pennies — “My house wasn’t the problem. My clothes weren’t the problem. My linen closet wasn’t the problem. My shoes weren’t the problem. I was the problem. As I looked through my most prized possessions, I realized something. I didn’t actually prize most of what I packed. ”
Shaquille O’Neal’s Money Advice to Young People via CNBC — “Basketball hall of famer Shaquille O’Neal is the first to admit that when it comes to managing money, he’s “done a lot of things wrong.” After all, when Shaq was a 20-year-old, he blew through $1 million in an hour… If O’Neal could give his younger self one piece of money advice, it’s the same thing he would tell young people today who are coming into money. And he sums it up with a brilliant analogy…”
Australians Can’t Get Enough of the Barefoot Investor via NY Times — “In a country of 24 million people, Scott Pape has sold more than one million copies of “The Barefoot Investor: The Only Money Guide You’ll Ever Need” since its publication by Wiley in December 2016… Even more extraordinary than those sales figures is the devotion of Mr. Pape’s followers. They use terms like “splurge card” (a debit card for everyday luxuries), “mojo account” (for when you feel like quitting your job) and “fire extinguisher funds” (emergency reserves) with an enthusiasm not normally associated with fiscal responsibility.”
Why Public Libraries Are Still Essential In 2018 via Vox — “Libraries are designed to serve the public. Amazon is designed to maximize its profits… [Libraries] offer books, movies, and music curated to entertain and inform the public, with more available through interlibrary loan. They offer internet access and low-cost printing services. They offer financial literacy training and job search assistance. They serve non-English-speaking immigrants. They serve incarcerated people and homeless people and housebound people.”
Want More Energy And Bigger Results? Stop Asking “HOW” And Start Asking “WHO” via Thrive Global — “Barnes quickly became a millionaire, which back then meant a lot more than it means now. He developed a unique collaboration and partnership with Thomas Edison that became a long-term and highly lucrative relationship. Barnes didn’t have a plan. Instead, he had a person. He had someone he wanted to work with and help. He didn’t have a HOW. Barnes had a WHO.”
[From @TheDigeratiLife‘s “portfolio of cemeteries” she’s visited around the world!]
I Got 22,000 Days Until I’m Dead via The Frugal Gene — “If I use a standard size 70-page college-ruled notebook that has 33 lines and wrote one sentence about one day on every line, at the end of my life I will have between 6 to 10 notebooks of “highlight reels.””
Our First Public Parks: The Forgotten History of Cemeteries via The Atlantic — “The great rural cemeteries were built at a time when there weren’t public parks, or art museums, or botanical gardens in American cities. You suddenly had large pieces of ground, filled with beautiful sculptures and horticultural art. People flocked to cemeteries for picnics, for hunting and shooting and carriage racing. These places became so popular that not only were guidebooks issued to guide visitors, but also all kinds of rules were posted.”
This Nonprofit Will Give You $1,000 If You Take a Few Personal Finance Classes via CNBC — “TCI Foundation, a Tucson, Arizona-based nonprofit, offers a series of free personal finance courses to millennials of moderate means. Participants must also complete a final exam and commit to two years of advice from a fee-only financial planner – also for free – to qualify for a $1,000 Roth IRA contribution.”
Video of the month: “The Story of Stuff”
“One time when I was a substitute teacher, I made up a project for the 5th grade kids. I had them watch “The Story of Stuff” (20 minute free video online), then I broke them up into groups and had them pick an item and research the entire life cycle from extraction, manufacture, distribution, use and then disposal. Then they gave a presentation on what they found. When I asked what they learned, almost all seemed to agree to buy and get less stuff. They even said they would ask their parents to buy them less stuff for birthdays and holidays. I couldn’t believe it, I was blown away.”
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And lastly, a neat little postcard I came across :)
Happy weekend!
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For past great finds:
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Shaq got it…period. Plus, endorse everything from car insurance to jock itch spray :-) and save that too.
Yeah, anyone can do it! ;)
I remember reading about Shaq’s Spending habits. It is good to see that he has changed his outrageous spending ways. So many athletes go broke just a few years after they stop playing. He seems to do many ads for different products to keep earning. I doubt the money can compare to what he used to earn in the NBA.
Totally, but with so much invested you know it’s gotta be compounding like crazy! And eventually *will* top what he was making if he keeps pouring it in!
Love this! Totally honored to be included. And guess whose students are totally watching that video in a few short weeks?!
Oh yeahhhh – it’s yours!!! Woot woot!
I normally can read things backwards, but I had the hardest time reading that “secret” message on the postcard. So I copied it to an image program (paint) and flipped it!
I won’t give the secret away though…
haha… don’t worry, I had to do the same thing only I just went up to a mirror :)
Some great articles here J, thanks for sharing! Awesome read by shepicksuppennies.com, you house should feel like a home not a storage unit! Everybody should read this one.
You turn to pass it on now!! :)
That video was so awesome, thanks man. I shared it on my facebook page so others can hopefully learn from it.
Yayyyyy thank you!! Really is pretty wild, right? (and scary)
Saving that video to watch with the wifey tonight – looks like it’ll be a good one to share!
Let me know what you think afterwards! Great way to start off the weekend and be more conscious about things.
Thank you for the mention, almost everyone thought I was being super morbid hahaha. Shaq blew a million dollars in a minute?! That’s more morbid to me!
You know me – death is always on my minds so no morbidity here! :)
I love it when you share good money reads! That’s how I found out about “A Year of Less”. It was soooooo good and inspiring!
Oh good!!! I’m so glad you liked that book – Cait is amazing :)
Thanks for posting the material.
I really enjoyed the 22,000 days post from The Frugal Gene. Remembering how limited my time truly is helps keep me motivated to keep saving. I want to spend as much time as I can with my family, the more the better!
You know it, man… Also good to spend quality time with *yourself* too as we tend not to in this fast paced world of ours :)
Hey J! Thanks for noting me! But more importantly, thanks for bringing light to an important issue. I get it that we live in a world where we need money and jobs, but so many of these corporations put profit before people and most of the profits go into the pockets of the top earners while the workers have barely seen a minimum wage increase. I mean, seriously, how much money do these executives really need… especially when they are taking natural resources that humans need to live?
There is a very fitting quote: When the last tree is cut down, the last fish eaten, and the last river polluted, we will realize that we cannot eat money.
P.S. I normally put lots of smiley faces in my comments, but as you said, this is a scary situation. :(
I hear you :( We gotta keep on spreading the message! And double checking our own habits too as I’m sure we’re all contributing whether we realize it or not.