by Chris | May 29, 2015 | Dictionary, Investing
Whenever people start throwing around financial terms like inflation, it’s easy to tune out immediately. But, aside from being crazy interesting, inflation is one of those big financial forces that affects you every day. It’s basically like gravity… yet another thing that’s keeping you from the miracle of flight….
Ugh. I wanna fly so bad.
But seriously… understanding a little bit about inflation is actually super important, especially for those of us who are trying to stretch every dollar.
I’d even go so far as to say that ignoring inflation could end up costing you a ton of money in the long run. (more…)
by Chris | May 26, 2015 | Uncategorized
I watch a fair amount of TV… but I used to watch a crazy amount.
Not too long ago I followed more than a dozen shows, keeping up with characters and story lines that seemed super important to me… until it just got really hard. Finding sites to stream them wasn’t as easy, and the quality was getting worse. So my TV watching just kind of tapered off.
Until … there was Netflix.
Netflix is amazing.
Up here in Canada, we have significantly less content than you do in the States, but as much as we like to complain about it… it’s still pretty great. And for the low price of $9.99, it’s unlimited access to a crazy amount of media.
What could be a more frugal choice for your entertainment budget??? Especially when going to a movie now costs a bajillion dollars (that’s Canada dollars… it’s only about 16 US dollars… ) (more…)
by Chris | May 19, 2015 | Taxes
It had been a long week, and I was enjoying a whiskey sour at the local watering hole when she walked in…
I had never seen her before, but she strolled in like she owned the place, with a look that dared you to tell her different.
A dame after my own heart.
I won’t pretend that I had a choice, but why she agreed to let me buy her a drink I’ll never know.
We sat.
She was in town on business, an actress… and I couldn’t take my eyes off of her…
As she finished her second I knew she was about to leave, but would it be alone?
She got up, took her coat and started to walk towards the door… until… she stopped. She turned back. Was this my moment? She glided back towards me, my heart was beating fast…
Then she grabbed the receipt…
“Sorry… business trip….”
And she was gone. Written me off, just like she would write off our two drinks together.
I was alone… and confused. Not just because she had left me, but because I was pretty confident that business deductions only work for food… not alcohol… plus… was this actually a business meal?
That woman was a mystery to me, but the mystery that really needed solving was what you can actually write off when it comes to food deductions. (more…)
by Chris | May 12, 2015 | Uncategorized
I don't think I really understood that people could make a living in the arts until I was well into my grad studies. I don't know why it took so long... I honestly just didn't really think about it....
Money isn't something that gets discussed in artist training. In another faculty you might have some idea what the average starting salary will be, or an idea of what you could make when you're a partner at the law firm... but as an artist... not so much...
But we did talk about 'making it'.
The 'it' may have been poorly defined, but we knew that what ever 'it' was 'it' was really hard to make.
In fact it was repeated over and over to us.... "In this entire class only one of you might 'make it'."
Whoa.
That meant nose to the grind stone. Learn those five arias. Perfect that pirouette. Learn exactly what the oxford comma is...
We all wanted to make it. We wanted to be that one. A real artist.
And even though I can't remember anyone specifically saying it... it became clear what they meant by making it... a lie that does all of us artists a lot of damage...
(more…)
by Chris | Apr 29, 2015 | Uncategorized
The number one question people ask me about getting their finances in order is: Where do I start??
It can seem daunting trying to figure out a part of your life you may have been ignoring for years… but remember, making a financial plan isn’t rocket science, or plant science, or any kind of science really. It’s about making a map, that helps you get where you want to go.
Figuring out what you want (where you want to go) is super important, but you can’t plan a journey without knowing where you’re starting from.
In other words… you need a point A in order to make a map to your point B.
So where are you?
In finance land, a big part of that question is answered by figuring out your net worth. In this case I’m not talking about the floofy holistic net worth that I talk about on the 1st of every month. I’m talking brass tacks. Money styles. Net worth classic.
Figuring out your net worth is pretty easy (although often depressing). It’s simply: (more…)
Whenever people start throwing around financial terms like inflation, it’s easy to tune out immediately. But, aside from being crazy interesting, inflation is one of those big financial forces that affects you every day. It’s basically like gravity… yet another thing that’s keeping you from the miracle of flight….
