Spare Change: Time to Travel Edition

I was disappointed when I had to cancel my planned trip to England last month. I’d been looking forward to hiking across the country, and to visiting several GRS readers. It worked out for the best, though: I’ve managed to tackle some projects here at home, and have had time to help Mom get situated in her new living environment.

Now, though, it’s time to travel. A week from today, I fly to Chicago to attend a conference. When that’s over, I board a plane for Lima, Peru. Using my new-found Spanish skillz (such as they are), and heeding the advice of GRS reader “El Nerdo” (who is from Peru), I’ll spend several weeks exploring the country (and neighboring Bolivia).

Between now and the time I leave, however, I have much to do. In fact, I’m not sure how I’ll get it all done! I’m scrambling like mad to get posts prepared for my absence, and April is getting adjusted to her new assistant editor position. But I still worry that things won’t be prepped when I leave in a week. I’ll do my best.

Meanwhile, here are a handful of recent personal finance stories from elsewhere around the web:

Speaking of my upcoming conference: I’ve been writing my talk, and in it I emphasize the importance of telling stories when writing about money. There’s a lot of dry financial advice out there. I truly believe that most people learn better when financial information is conveyed by story. No surprise then that I enjoyed Five Cent Nickel’s recent anecdotes about allowances and money lessons. Nickel’s stories about his kids help to illustrate financial concepts that are sometimes tough for even adults to understand!

Moving on, Saving Advice has a nice article about what to do if you’re invited to a sales party and you don’t want to buy. As a man, I’m fortunate to not have to deal with this sort of thing. (Do sales parties for men even exist? Pampered Mechanic?) But I’ve heard many women complain about the awkward social pressure that can come from them. (See also Is direct sales a good way to make extra money or a fast way to lose friends? from the archives at Money Smart Life.)

FMF from Free Money Finance is a vocal advocate of maximizing your earning potential, especially when it comes to your career. Here at GRS, he shared an awesome guest post describing five steps to six figures in seven years. Recently at his own site, he wrote about how to maximize your lifetime earnings. I know I preach this constantly, but boosting your income is probably the best way to financial security.

Next, the uncanny Tyler K. sent me an article from Lapham’s Quarterly. “Trust Issues” is a fascinating story about a thousand-year trust bequeathed to Hartwick College in New York, a trust that — due to the extraordinary power of compound interest — might have allowed its recipient to “own the world” in 2936 if it had remained as originally drafted. This long read looks at other long-term trusts throughout history. It’s much more interesting than it sounds.

I’m not a fan of “daily deal” sites. I’m wary of Groupon, for instance, because I think it’ll just make me spend more money. But I know many folks love these tools. If you’re one of them, check out Dough Roller’s recent list of daily deal sites. You might find something new.

Finally, here’s a little self-promotion: If you’re looking for a quick intro to my story and philosophy, check out my guest post at Tim Maurer’s site. I wrote about how mastering the mental game of money is the key to overcoming debt and building wealth. For even more detail on my background, check out this blogger profile at Millionaire Corner. Donald and I had fantastic conversation, and he did a good job sharing the highlights.

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This article is about Spare Change