The Best of Krantcents for 2014

The “best of” may be a misnomer, but it is based on statistics or my opinion!  I decided to showcase a variety of articles that you may find worthwhile to read again or for the first time. Who knows, you may uncover a hidden gem that changes your life.   I decided to do this because I am continuing to make some changes and thought you may like to read some of the best!

I decided to write a blog because I thought I had something to contribute to the conversation.  I will let you judge if my contribution is worthwhile or not.   I try to find things that I find interesting or provocative to stimulate conversation or better yet a dialog.  Your comments are important because it creates a dialog.  I always write about subjects I find interesting and hope you do too.  I try to take a particular point of view that will allow the reader to draw their own conclusion.  That does not mean I don’t try to persuade the reader of my viewpoint, but instead I try to highlight the issues.

Top Ten Articles 

I will never Retire! – That’s right, I will never retire!  Although I will retire from teaching in five (5) years, I know I will never just kick back and play golf, play cards or sit around.  I saw firsthand how my mother worked part time into her mid eighties.  She worked because she liked what she was doing!  She retired from that job at eighty-six.  What did she do?  She made things and sold them at an open air market every Saturday.

Budgets and diets are a waste of time!  Most, if not all personal finance (PF) bloggers are probably surprised I would say that.  A budget or diet is not the answer for overspending or overeating.   If these things worked for everyone, there would be no debt or overweight people.  A budget or diet is intended to help us reach a financial or personal goal.  Do budgets or diets even work?

Extreme Retirement Is Fool’s Gold! – The usual definition for extreme includes words like serious, hazardous, dangerous, highest degree, exceptional, severe, physical or mental risk or hardship.  I realize that retirement as a goal may be worthwhile enough to take risks, but extreme may be too far.  Fool’s gold is anything that turns out to be worthless!  Have you gone to extremes for retirement savings?  Is it working for you?

20 Interview Questions to Ask Employers– Here are 20 interview questions to ask employers Interviews are scary!  What kind of impression are you making?  Having questions prepared tells the employer you are interested!  Why not, your goal is to be invited back.  Interviews are to find out about you and for you to find out about the company.  Your questions tell the interviewer a lot about you.

How I cut my Expenses –How I cut my expenses may provide some insight how to save money.  Some people would call me cheap!  Others may say I am frugal!  I think of myself as value conscious!  I hate to spend more money for something than I need to.  My approach may cause you to rethink how you spend your money!

How to Become Minimum Wage Millionaire! – Can you earn minimum wage and still become a millionaire? The short answer is yes!  I am sure you have heard of so called poor people becoming millionaires, although not overnight.   I am not talking about professional athletes, entertainers or lottery winners.  I am talking about everyday people earning very little money and over time become millionaires.  Not just millionaires, but multi-millionaires!

Being Rich or Poor Is a Choice! – Rich or poor is a choice!  I realize that some of you may feel this is controversial, but give it some thought. You have control of yourself and you are not a victim. People who are rich, work hard. People who are poor generally make poor choices. It starts very young with education, role models and goals. Most rich people did not start out that way.  They made a choice and you can too!

10 Things I Can Live Without! – 10 things I can live without and I am okay!!  You make New Year’s Resolutions to lose weight, set goals or budget and you need to make choices.  So it is a very relevant question!  What will you give up to achieve your goals?  It could range from dessert, sleep to exercise, dining out or entertainment.  Here are ten (10) things I can live without!

Your Career Is Going Nowhere, What Can You Do? – Has your career hit a bump, you’re in a dead end job or you just want a change? You are not alone! You could just go out with your friends and complain about it or you could do something about it.  Are you bored, want more money or just want a change? Did you give it your all or did you just expect they would discover your talent?  Whatever the reason, if you want to do something about it, you can start here!

The case against paying off your mortgage! – Many personal finance experts suggest paying off your mortgage.  I realize that interest rates are very low on savings, but mortgage rates are historically low too.  If you itemize your income taxes, you can write off your mortgage interest and the government subsidizes your rate by giving you a tax deduction. The government is encouraging home ownership.  Why would you want to give that up?

My Favorite Ten Articles of 2014

25 Money Savings Tips for Everyone! – These are 25 money saving tips, I use daily/weekly/monthly and they work!  I learned at a very early age that I needed to save my money to get the things I wanted.  Notice, I said the things I wanted.  My parents provided the things I needed!  Previously, I wrote “10 Changes Can Make Millions” and I thought I would share some more.  Start making changes today and you can start saving for what you want too.

Impossible Is Just an Opinion! – “Impossible is just a big word thrown around by small men who find it easier to live in the world they’ve been given than to explore the power they have to change it. Impossible is not a fact. It’s an opinion. Impossible is not a declaration. It’s a dare. Impossible is potential. Impossible is temporary. Impossible is nothing.” (Muhammad Ali)  Don’t tell me it is impossible, but find a way to succeed!

Sports Can Teach You Financial Skills – Playing sports teaches you much more than the game. Funny, how we tend to trivialize sports in school, but it is an important part of learning skills. When I played sports, I heard the phrase it was only a game. “Baseball, it is said, is only a game. True. And the Grand Canyon is only a hole in Arizona. Not all holes, or games are created equal.” (George Will)

All Talk, No Action – All talk, no action! You know these people; they make promises or talk a lot and never accomplish anything. It sounds like the guy who says, let’s get together for lunch, but never calls you. Some may think of this person as a people pleaser until they realize it is all talk. They love the positive reaction until you realize it is only intentions. You can do do something about it. The cure is simple!

Easy Ways to Cut Commuting Costs – How much of your monthly pay do you spend on getting to and from work? When you factor in the cost of fuel and wear and tear on your car, you could be shelling out a pretty penny. The longer your commute is, the more you could also expect to pay for car insurance and maintenance. Yet for many of us, simply walking to work is just not an option.

Why is there income inequality? –Income inequality has grown significantly in the United States! The top 1% increased income and the middle class income has been declining at a much faster rate. Some of the factors that contribute to income inequality are geographical, globalization, race, gender, education, immigration, institutional, taxation and decline of unions. What do you think is the biggest factor in income inequality?

Teach Kids about Money – A New Approach! -You can’t teach kids about money, unless you make good financial decisions too! Every time, you spend, save, invest or even make decisions about money, you are demonstrating to your children what they should do. By the time they grow up, they have seen you make thousands of transactions and it becomes the only experience they know for them. I still this is still true, but it is not too late to fix it!

If You Were Boss– What would you do if you were boss? What if you were boss of the company you work for? What would you change? Do you think like an employee or an entrepreneur? Suddenly, you need to see the big picture vs. doing just a job. You should be performance focused rather than just doing a job. Planning for the future just became your number one priority! What would you do if you were boss?

Why You Should Have a Financial Plan! –   All businesses need a financial plan and you should too! A financial plan is a decision-making process and tool that enable management to assess results and set targets for growth. A financial plan describes each of the activities, resources, equipment and materials that are needed to achieve these objectives and the time frames involved. It is the combination of strategy and objectives! Are you planning ten (10) or twenty (20) years in the future?

Don’t Retire Early! – You may be near retirement or in your early thirties! There is always someone who will tell you not o do something. It is usually someone with a bad experience or never did it anyway. I am neither! I retired early and do not regret it. I did not squander my wealth nor did I just sit and do nothing. I am suggesting that it is not for everyone!

Final thoughts

This is my third year, I shared my best and  favorite articles. Additionally, I would like to thank all my readers and the many who have left comments without you there is no krantcents.  I want you all to know I enjoy the dialog generated by comments even if you do not agree with me.  My goal is to start a conversation not persuade you of my viewpoint.  Last, I hope this article recap may interest you to read something you missed or read it for the first time.  Whether these are the best articles or not, I will let you decide!

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