It’s been a l-o-n-g time since I posted a batch of links. I’m not sure why. Maybe it’s because I’ve been so wrapped up in my personal life lately. Speaking of which: What am I actually doing nowadays, anyhow? I’ve been kind of quiet about that, haven’t I?
Well, I’ve been focusing on the things that I most enjoy. That means learning Spanish, of course. I’m now eleven months into this project. I continue to take 4-1/2 hours of private lessons every week. I’ve also been volunteering in a second-grade dual-language classroom, and I’m volunteering to teach English to a native Spanish speaker. (I meet with her between two and four hours each week.) Plus, I do lots of other little things to accelerate the learning process. I love learning the language and believe I’m a solid intermediate speaker now. My lessons are becoming increasingly esoteric. And yesterday I found myself thinking in Spanish without any reason to be doing so! Love it!
Meanwhile, I’m still focusing on fitness. This month, I’ve been to my Crossfit gym in Portland every single day. (And my body aches because of it!) I’m also writing tons, helping to plan this year’s World Domination Summit, spending lots of time with friends, and, yes it’s true, I’ve begun dating.
I have a good life.
But this isn’t my personal blog. This is my finance blog, and you come here to learn about money. To that end, here are some articles I’ve been collecting from around the web.
To begin, I liked this recent question at Ask Metafilter: What’s like a Brooks Brothers shirt, only cheaper? As you know, most of my wardrobe is based on clothing from Costco and thrift stores. That’s begun to change with time (hello, REI and Icebreaker!), but I’m still trying to figure out how to dress like an adult — frugally. This thread was useful for me.
Another question: How much will it cost to live to 100? If Smart Money is to be believed, you’ll need $3.5 million: $1.5 million for your first fifty years of life, and $2 million for your last fifty.
And another question: Will driving a Prius save you money? Not unless you own it a hell of a long time. If your goal is to save money, you’re better of walking, biking, or taking mass transit — or buying a cheap fuel-efficient car. (There are other reasons to own a Prius; personal economics isn’t one of them.)
Elsewhere, friend-of-the-blog Scott Dinsomre recently published a five-minute test designed to answer the question “Should I quit?” In his e-mail to me, Scott wrote:
This is a 3-minute yes/no test that calculates a score to help someone understand how healthy (or unhealthy) their work situation is, and whether they should quit. Depending on your score, you get access to a bunch of free tools to make the transition. My goal is for it to be a wakeup call and ideally something where people share and compare their score with friends and coworkers and create some real change.
Finally, another friend-of-the-blog, former staff writer Adam Baker, is in the midst of his next mad project. He’s producing a feature-length documentary film on complacency — what it is and how to overcome it. Here’s the trailer for “I’m Fine, Thanks”:
Adam and his crew are funding this project (in part) through a Kickstarter project. Not familiar with Kickstarter? It’s a “crowdfunding” website where average folks can contribute a few bucks to make big dreams come true. If you’d like to support Adam, go check out the “I’m Fine, Thanks” project page at Kickstarter.
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This article is about Spare Change
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I’m curious, J.D. Do you plan to live in a Spanish speaking country for an extended length of time as part of your language learning experience? I’ve heard it is one of the keys to language acquisition.
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Great question, Josh. My Spanish tutor (from Peru) and my English student (from Spain) are both encouraging me to live in a Spanish-speaking country for six months (or more). In fact, my tutor today told me it’s the only real way I’m going to make large gains now. (That’s not to say that I’m fluent — because I’m not — but that I’m solidly intermediate and to make big gains from here on out, I need to immerse myself.)
The trouble? I’m happy. Right now, I’m the happiest I’ve ever been in my life. I’m still making minor adjustments, but nothing major. I’ve learned from years of experience that when I’m happy, it’s best to just ride things out. “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” (Try explaining that in Spanish to a non-native speaker! I couldn’t do it.)
So, for now at least, I’m not going anywhere. I’m going to keep living life the way I have been. I love it. If I find a few months from now that I’m fundamentally unhappy, moving to South America is top on my list of things to do. No joke. I recognize it’s something that is calling me. I hear it. I’m tempted. But for now, my heart and mind are here in Portland.
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Meh, people use whatever math they want to justify whether a hybrid is worth it. This guy is comparing a Prius to a Corolla, but it is somewhere between a Corolla and a Camry. Figuring out what to compare it to has always been a point of contention. Luckily, it doesn’t have to be anymore, because there are hybrid versions of normal cars now. Using the same logic to compare a Camry to a Camry hybrid gives you a break even point of about 85k miles. Still more than some folks drive a new car, but definitely within the bounds of normal driving for most people.
Of course, you are definitely better off biking or walking, regardless of whether you drive a hybrid.
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4 1/2 hours a day?! Sounds expensive. Do you think you could be where you are without a tutor?
I have been learning spanish for a year and half now on and off and am definitely an intermediate, but don’t think I am anywhere near an advance intermediate. I have been thinking about a tutor, but the cheapest I could find is $25 an hour which is just too much. I don’t have a couple hundred a week to spend on learning a language. I leave for Nicaragua in a couple weeks and my goal was to be conversationally respectable, meaning being able to talk casually with others without major pauses or needing them to repeat themselves, but I am going to fall short. If you think there are alternatives to tutors I am all ears.
Overall pretty cool. Keep up the good work. Love hearing about the spanish lessons and South American trips. Maybe you could start a spanish blog next! I would read =)
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Per week, Spencer, per week. Not per day.
My tutor costs $25/hour too. Seems to be the going rate. But for me, it’s worth it.
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Woops! Meant per week. Good to know though. I will give the tutor a try. I suppose $50-$100 a week is worth it if you are able to speak it.
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Hey Spencer,
What about having A language partner?
I’ve found it a great way to enjoy coffee or dinner with someone while also having a language exchange.
Another thing I’ve found is that some groups or cafes will have a kind of “social hour” if you will, where people meet up to speak in a specific language. I’ve found these events to be very fun and only cost you in whatever food or beverages you order.
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Try looking on meetup.com. In my area, there are meetup groups where Spanish speakers, both native and non-native, get together to hang out. It’s relaxed and social, and a great way to improve your skills. It’s not as direct as a tutor, but more true to real life, plus it’s free.
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Spencer, I don’t know if this works for your situation but the university I attended lets alumni audit any class as long as the professor accepts.
Which is a fantastic deal! I audited Italian for 4 months prior to my first trip to Italy some years ago and it was sooo helpful. (I speak Spanish and French though not natively) and taking the class helped enormously.
And only 25 college kids in my class! The professor spoke only Italian so full immersion, the best way.
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Bummer. I got a 25 on the job test. Apparently I like the job.
The MSN money article seems way off track compared to everything I’ve read on the spending habits of older people.
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Never hurts to have extra, I guess, but I agree. My grandparents are in their 80s, have the tiniest of “retirement accounts” (he was a milkman, she a housewife) and are constantly giving AWAY money to us in the form of gifts etc.
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JD I’m starting to re-learn Spanish using audio courses in preparation for a holiday to the Canaries in August. I used to be low intermediate about 5 years ago so I’m just refreshing the basics at the moment, it’s surprising how if you don’t use it, you lose it! Anyway, just wanted to say that learning another language again has given me a really rich feeling, something that’s difficult to put a price on.
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Go to meetup.com and look for a local discussion group in your area. You will get plenty of free practice time!
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My brother got his doctorate in Russian last year. I remember him telling me that it was a huge jump in the understanding of a language to start thinking in it. Way to go!
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