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Normally when I share link roundups, I write something interesting or pithy in the opening. I have nothing interesting or pithy to say today. I’m still in the midst of my flood of work, and won’t be able to come up for breath until Friday. My brain is numb. So, let’s just jump straight to the links!
Jonathan at Master Your Card has scathing piece on what the banks are doing with our money. Want to know what the banks are doing with the $700 billion bailout? “Our money is being used to make the banking industry even less competitive than it already is, and create a whole new bunch of unprofitable, incompetent businesses that are ‘too big to fail’.” Well said.
USA Today writes that as consumers get frugal, retailers get creative. I confess: I love news stories about how frugality has gone mainstream. If only I believed them. I do think there’s increasing awareness of the virtues of thrift, but I’m not convinced the country is going to change its mentality overnight.
I keep meaning to write an article about this piece from Morningstar, but it’s time to admit it’s never going to happen. Sue Stevens offers an inside look at Jack Bogle’s portfolio. Bogle is the founder of Vanguard, and the man who popularized index funds. Would you be surprised to learn that 24% of his investment portfolio is in actively-managed funds?
Finally, Five Cent Nickel offers a look at some commonly overlooked income-tax deductions. Before you file, don’t forget to claim what’s yours!
This article is about Spare Change Wednesday, 28th January 2009 (by J.D. Roth)
January 28th, 2009 at 4:40 pm
Yes, it will be very interesting to see if the fad of thrift and pockets of frugality turn mainstream and last, or if it just a temporary result of the recession.
However, I have begun reporting on some of the great and positive results of the recession, and I do believe that a stronger awareness of “money” and the energy people apply to it and how they leverage it is shifting. And that I hope is here to stay.
To your prosperity!
Mara Rogers
January 28th, 2009 at 4:45 pm
In regards to the USA Today article; a national shift towards frugality will not happen over night but I do see frugality slowly increasing. The last few months I have heard more people discuss money savings tip than ever before. Maybe it’s because times are rough or because people are realizing the benefits of living a debt free life. Either way the concept of frugality will never be fully embraced but as long as it continues to grow slowly it is a positive sign. If you need any more proof then look no further, you are setting record numbers with traffic this month. People are wanting to learn more and more about saving money.
January 28th, 2009 at 5:33 pm
“what the banks are doing with our money” is a really informative article. Thanks =)
January 28th, 2009 at 5:56 pm
Wow! That article about Bogle is nearly three years old! Would be interesting to see how his portfolio has changed since then…
January 28th, 2009 at 7:08 pm
Thanks for the mention J.D. And Trevor, I’m glad you found it informative
January 29th, 2009 at 12:54 am
I wholeheartedly agree with your skepticism regarding the recent frugal conversions. I think in a lot of cases there is a sliding scale of thrift. Many of the articles I’ve read in the past few months that touted inexpensive gifts or meals were frugal gifts under $50 or cheap meals that would be less expensive in a restaurant. While the idea of being thrifty is certainly gaining momentum, I think the actual concept of what that means is yet to be decided by the general public.
January 29th, 2009 at 5:41 am
JD, I read that article on Bogle’s portfolio. I would expect as much as 50% of his portfolio would be in managed funds. Index funds are “for the rest of us funds.” If you have millions, you can afford the guys who actually make decent returns.
I always say that once you have $10 million to invest, you can start looking beyond index funds.
Since you can’t get around to writing on it, I think I might.
January 29th, 2009 at 5:54 am
The Jonathan article is short sighted and some what ignorant. It is clear case where someone has bought into media spin with out a clear understanding of the issues at hand. See my post there if you like.
January 29th, 2009 at 7:49 am
I was going to say “I miss the pithy” but then realized the first paragraph was pithy enough for my use.
As far as “frugality” hitting the mainstream… I feel it is a trend borne out of necessity that may or may not turn into a practice. I hit on it (mainly due to this site and because something needed to change) well over a year ago and since then have seen some friends join the bandwagon. The common theme seems to be the need for change, the realization of goals that become more reachable with even just a little frugality. While this group, including myself, are not “all frugal, all the time” and have seen our share of backsteps… it seems the trend has become a practice for most of us or something we continually shoot for on a day by day basis. This seems to parallel many of the experiences written about on this site.
As for the suddenly thrifty of late– again, it seems to be borne out of necessity and it is almost like they drank some frugal kool-aid! I am not sure if it will turn into practice for that group. Hopefully though, the “frugal” articles and advice sent out/published for their benefit will keep coming– a little more of that never hurt anyone.
January 29th, 2009 at 9:58 am
True story, unrelated to this link roundup but it is making me crazy:
I did my taxes last night and discovered that my AGI is $164 too high to take the saver’s credit!
ARGGH! WHY DID I HAVE TO GET A RAISE IN NOVEMBER???? (just kidding, but seriously, ARGH)
Anyways, no biggie, I’m getting a refund anyway from paying tuition so I guess it’s all good, but man, I contributed $1700 to my 401k last year, that would have been a nice credit to get.
January 29th, 2009 at 12:21 pm
Here’s a nice key quote from the USA Today article:
“We have too much stuff,” she says. “Plus, we don’t have any money, probably because we have too much stuff.”
Yup.
January 29th, 2009 at 1:29 pm
JD, looks like this Bogle article is dated 2006?
January 29th, 2009 at 2:29 pm
I know that Bogle article is old, but I couldn’t find anything more recent. I set out with the specific intent of finding his asset allocation, and that was the best piece I could find…
January 30th, 2009 at 10:02 am
If he hasn’t rebalanced since then, you can guess his portfolio is now something like 75% bonds/25% stocks.
February 2nd, 2009 at 12:07 am
Frugal going mainstream will doubtless always ebb and flow with events, but it means that those who choose frugality for reasons other than economic crisis don’t get looked on as being quite as weird for a while.
From the USA Today article: kids will always grow out of clothes and get bored with toys. Given the ridiculous amount it costs to bring them up (according to the regular surveys), anyone not looking at swapping or selling is really missing a trick. The kids don’t really care, until they get to the age where the media starts to indoctrinate them.
I love old photographs, so the idea of remodelling stores and emphasizing roots really appeals. The photos usually go back to a time when you didn’t have to pay extra for good service. If the retailer still has the same ideals it works for me.
As for luxury goods, I wonder how those waiting lists for designer handbags are faring? Is it really that difficult to persuade yourself you don’t need yet another new handbag? When I find one that does the business, I hang on to it until it falls apart.