{"id":12,"date":"2015-08-14T11:53:40","date_gmt":"2015-08-14T18:53:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/moneyboss.com\/?page_id=12"},"modified":"2024-03-27T15:37:36","modified_gmt":"2024-03-27T21:37:36","slug":"money-toolbox","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.getrichslowly.org\/money-toolbox\/","title":{"rendered":"Your Money Toolbox"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>This page collects some of our favorite financial tools. These are the actual accounts and products that we use every day &#8212; and that Get Rich Slowly readers keep in <em>their<\/em> toolboxes. <strong>If you have suggested additions, please leave a comment below (or send me email).<\/strong><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"get-rich-slowly-tools\"><\/span>Get Rich Slowly Tools<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>From time to time, we create downloadables and tools for Get Rich Slowly articles. This is the master list of everything we&#8217;ve created so far for this site. <strong>All of these items are free to GRS subscribers.<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Our net worth calculator gives you a template for calculating your current &#8220;score&#8221;. How much are you worth?<\/li>\n<li>Here&#8217;s a one-page PDF with an exercise meant to help you create your personal mission statement.<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;The Money Boss Method&#8221; is a one-page guide to financial freedom. It&#8217;s a quick and dirty summary of what this site is about, describing how <em>you<\/em> can reach early retirement (or any other goal).<\/li>\n<li>For J.D.&#8217;s article on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.getrichslowly.org\/stages-of-financial-freedom\/\">the six stages of financial freedom<\/a>, he shared an image that summarizes the path from financial dependence to financial abundance. By popular request, We&#8217;ve created a PDF version of that roadmap.<\/li>\n<li>A few years ago, J.D. collaborated with his friend Lisa to create a one-hundred word summary of his philosophy on how to be happy. A <em>lot<\/em> of people have asked him to provide a PDF version, so that&#8217;s what he did.<\/li>\n<li>Get Rich Slowly is built on a clear and specific philosophy. We&#8217;ve collected that philosophy into a free 70-page book I call <em>A Brief Guide to Financial Freedom<\/em>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>This library of documents and tools will grow with the Get Rich Slowly website. We&#8217;ll update subscribers now and then when there&#8217;s a new addition.<\/p>\n<form id=\"form1\" action=\"https:\/\/joinbox.today\/form\/64cd30523142ff00011645e8\/64ea2e7b515d0d0001effe78\" autocomplete=\"off\" method=\"post\">\n<div id=\"form-body-canvas\" style=\"width: 100%; height: 100%; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; background-color: transparent; background-size: cover; background-attachment: fixed; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-position: center center; color: #3c4858; text-align: center;\">\n<div id=\"form-wrapper-canvas\" style=\"max-width: 540px; margin: 62px 0 0; display: inline-block;\">\n<div id=\"form-canvas\" class=\"\" style=\"padding: 17px; width: 100%; background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); border-radius: 3px; text-align: left; font-size: 16px; color: #000000; border: 6px hidden #3b945e;\">\n<table style=\"margin: 5px 0px;\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" align=\"center\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"\">\n<h1 style=\"text-align: center; font-size: 32px;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"become-a-money-boss\"><\/span>Become A Money Boss<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h1>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<table style=\"margin: 5px 0px;\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" align=\"center\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"\">\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">Subscribe to the GRS Insider and get a copy of the Money Boss Manifesto (both FREE)<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<table class=\"input-field \" style=\"margin: 10px 0px;\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" align=\"center\" data-id=\"0\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td><label class=\"\" style=\"font-weight: bold;\"> Enter your name here&#8230;<\/label> <input id=\"cf_64cd3065a513f50001d43590\" class=\"custom-field \" style=\"width: 100%; border: 1px solid #ddd; padding: 8px;\" name=\"cf_64cd3065a513f50001d43590\" type=\"text\" data-fieldid=\"64cd3065a513f50001d43590\"\/><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<table class=\" input-field \" style=\"margin: 0px 0px 10px;\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" align=\"center\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td><label class=\"\" style=\"font-weight: bold;\">Enter your email here&#8230;<\/label> <strong style=\"color: red;\">*<\/strong> <input id=\"cf_0\" class=\"required\" style=\"width: 100%; border: 1px solid #ddd; padding: 8px;\" name=\"cf_0\" type=\"text\"\/><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<table class=\" button-field \" style=\"margin-top: 0px;\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" align=\"center\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><button id=\"btnSubmit\" style=\"cursor: pointer; margin: 10px 0px; border: 1px solid transparent; padding: 0.5rem 1rem; border-radius: 3px; background-color: #fabc09; color: #ffffff;\" type=\"submit\">YES! SIGN UP AND GET YOUR FREE GIFT<\/button><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/form>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"blogs\"><\/span>Blogs<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>There are lots of great blogs and podcasts about money, but only a few focus on what J.D. calls &#8220;advanced personal finance&#8221;. Here are some of his favorites. J.D. has met and talked with each of the folks who run these sites, and feels confident that their <a href=\"https:\/\/www.getrichslowly.org\/financial-philosophy\/\">financial philosophy matches his<\/a>. You can trust them. J.D. does.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/affordanything.com\/blog\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Afford Anything<\/a> with Paula Pant documents the author&#8217;s ongoing quest to build the best life she possibly can. Pant shares her experience with rental properties, lifestyle design, and hustling to earn money on the side. She&#8217;s a great example of how you can have anything you want &#8212; but not everything you want.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/earlyretirementextreme.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Early Retirement Extreme<\/a> by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.getrichslowly.org\/early-retirement-extreme\/\">Jacob Lund Fisker<\/a>. Fisker&#8217;s wasn&#8217;t the first blog about Financial Independence and early retirement, but it&#8217;s certainly been the most influential. Everyone else in the space owes a debt to him. He codified and clarified both the numbers and the philosophy behind the movement. The archives here are gold.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/financialmentor.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Financial Mentor<\/a> by Todd Tresidder. If you like nitty gritty details, Todd&#8217;s your man. More than anyone else in this space, he has the knowledge <i>and<\/i> experience to help navigate even the most difficult parts of the journey to Financial Independence. His site offers tons of free tools and his articles are comprehensive. Be warned, though: The advice here can seem complicated to some.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.iwillteachyoutoberich.com\/blog\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">I Will Teach You to Be Rich<\/a> with Ramit Sethi is one of the oldest money blogs and still one of the best. Sethi has no patience for strategies that save pennies instead of dollars &#8212; and he&#8217;d prefer you focused on hundreds or thousands of dollars at a time. The centerpiece of his site is a library of courses designed to help people make more money and live a richer life.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.madfientist.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Mad Fientist<\/a> with Brandon. This blog and podcast tackle the &#8220;science&#8221; of Financial Independence. Brandon explores loopholes and strategies to help you achieve FI (and other goals) as quickly and efficiently as possible.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mrmoneymustache.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Mr. Money Mustache<\/a> with Pete. Mr. Money Mustache challenges conventional wisdom about life and money. Pete&#8217;s goal is to get readers to question consumer culture &#8212; especially their own personal consumption. He argues that how much you spend is almost completely unrelated to how fulfilling your life is.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/wallethacks.com\/blog\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Wallet Hacks<\/a> with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.getrichslowly.org\/author\/jimwang\/\">Jim Wang<\/a>. Compared to the other sites listed here, Wang writes less about Financial Independence and more about everyday personal finance. As somebody who&#8217;s already achieved financial freedom, he knows what he&#8217;s talking about.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/maplemoney.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">MapleMoney<\/a> with Tom Drake. This site covers regular personal finance topics from a Canadian perspective. GRS readers might also recognize Tom as part of the team here on this site!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Other great non-financial blogs J.D. reads regularly: <a href=\"https:\/\/chrisguillebeau.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Art of Non-Conformity<\/a> (Chris Guillebeau on living a remarkable life), <a href=\"https:\/\/jamesclear.com\/articles\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">James Clear<\/a> (on mastering your habits), <a href=\"https:\/\/fourhourworkweek.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Tim Ferriss<\/a> (on life experimentation), <a href=\"https:\/\/www.raptitude.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Raptitude<\/a> (David Cain on how to improve your quality of life), <a href=\"https:\/\/sive.rs\/blog\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Derek Sivers<\/a> (on learning from life), and <a href=\"https:\/\/zenhabits.net\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Zen Habits<\/a> (Leo Babauta on finding simplicity amidst daily chaos).<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"podcasts\"><\/span>Podcasts<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>If you&#8217;d rather <em>listen<\/em> to financial advice, there are lots of great podcasts about smart money management. Here are some favorites of Get Rich Slowly readers:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>If you&#8217;re into real-estate investing, check out <a href=\"https:\/\/www.biggerpockets.com\/podcast\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Bigger Pockets<\/a> with Josh Dorkin and Brandon Turner. The hosts try to provide info for both beginners and experienced investors.<\/li>\n<li>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.madfientist.com\/podcast\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Financial Independence Podcast<\/a> is from Brandon at Mad Fientist. He interviews people about techniques and strategies for achieving early retirement.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/affordanything.com\/podcast\/binge\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Afford Anything Podcast<\/a> with Paula Pant. J.D.&#8217;s colleague (and friend) started a podcast about money and entrepreneurship. This is high on his to-listen list.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.radicalpersonalfinance.com\/archive\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Radical Personal Finance<\/a> with Joshua Sheats is J.D.&#8217;s personal favorite. Sheats is smart and thoughtful, and their philosophies are similar. Plus he has a background in finance. This show tends to run long, but it&#8217;s worth it.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.stackingbenjamins.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Stacking Benjamins<\/a> does a great job of covering the gamut of money topics and opinions. The hosts aren&#8217;t afraid to explore different ideas and viewpoints. Plus, they consciously work to keep their show hopping so it doesn&#8217;t drag.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>And, of course, there are the big-name shows like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/podcasts\/381444600\/marketplace\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Marketplace<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/podcasts\/510289\/planet-money\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Planet Money<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/freakonomics.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Freakonomics<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"other-websites\"><\/span>Other Websites<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The U.S. government&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bls.gov\/cex\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Consumer Expenditure Survey<\/strong><\/a> is an amazing pile of information about the earning and spending habits of average Americans. There&#8217;s a <em>lot<\/em> here and the site might feel intimidating. If you have time to sit down and sort through things, however, you can learn a lot about how people handle their money &#8212; and how their habits compare to yours.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.kbb.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Kelley Blue Book<\/strong><\/a> is the ages-old source for calculating the value of your used vehicle. Many of us remember using the print version when we were younger. The modern website has all sorts of search tools and car-buying aids.<\/p>\n<p>Franklin-Covey has an online <a href=\"https:\/\/msb.franklincovey.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Mission Statement Builder<\/strong><\/a> that walks you through a series of questions about your values, goals, and desires. When you&#8217;re finished you&#8217;ll have a rough draft of a possible mission statement. (You&#8217;ll need to massage the results to get a more concise statement.)<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.numbeo.com\/cost-of-living\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><b>Numbeo<\/b><\/a> collects a variety of stats for cities around around the world. If you&#8217;re curious about what it might be like to live somewhere else, this tool can help you crunch the numbers. Numbeo includes information on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.numbeo.com\/property-investment\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">housing prices<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.numbeo.com\/crime\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">crime rates<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.numbeo.com\/traffic\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">traffic<\/a>, and more. For our purposes, the most useful piece of the site is the extensive <a href=\"https:\/\/www.numbeo.com\/cost-of-living\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">cost-of-living calculator<\/a>, which allows you to explore how much bang you get for your buck from one city to the next.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.zillow.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Zillow<\/strong><\/a> allows you to estimate real-estate prices (and rents) in your area. Lots of people use this website when they&#8217;re house-hunting, but it&#8217;s also useful for keeping tabs on the housing market in your neighborhood, and fur updating your home&#8217;s value when you&#8217;re calculating net worth.<\/p>\n<p><!--\n\n\n[alkpt]40[\/alkpt]\n\n\nI'm a big believer in books.\n\nBorrow from your public library or purchase used. (Many of these, such as <i>The Millionaire Next Door<\/i>, can easily be found at your local thrift shop.)\n\nAlso note: Some of the best personal finance books aren't about personal finance. Because being a money boss is more about mindset than it is about math, I've included several books here that are primarily (or solely) about psychology.\n\n\n<ul>\n \t\n\n<li><i>The Millionaire Next Door<\/i><\/li>\n\n\n \t\n\n<li><i>Early Retirement Extreme<\/i><\/li>\n\n\n \t\n\n<li><i>The Quiet Millionaire<\/i> [advanced]<\/li>\n\n\n \t\n\n<li><i>Work Less, Live More<\/i><\/li>\n\n\n \t\n\n<li><i>Secrets of the Millionaire Mind<\/i><\/li>\n\n\n \t\n\n<li><i>How to Get Out of Debt, Stay Out of Debt, and Live Prosperously<\/i> [beginner]<\/li>\n\n\n \t\n\n<li><i>Your Money or Your Life<\/i> [beginner]<\/li>\n\n\n \t\n\n<li><i>Unconventional Success<\/i> [advanced]<\/li>\n\n\n<\/ul>\n\n\nSome of the best books about money aren't about money. Here are a few of the books that have helped me develop better financial habits \u2014 and improve other aspects of my life.\n\n\n<ul>\n \t\n\n<li><i>The Road Less Traveled<\/i><\/li>\n\n\n \t\n\n<li><i>How I Found Freedom in an Unfree World<\/i><\/li>\n\n\n \t\n\n<li><i>Flow<\/i><\/li>\n\n\n \t\n\n<li><i>The Power of Now<\/i><\/li>\n\n\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"apps\"><\/span>Apps<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\nComing soon.\n\nYNAB\nBeterment\n\nI don't recommend Mint. If you use it, that's fine. But my experience with the app has been poor -- it doesn't want to sync with my accounts -- ... I think YNAB is a better option.\n\n\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"bank-accounts\"><\/span>Bank Accounts<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\nComing soon.\n\n<b>I am <i>not<\/i> a fan of large, national banks. These companies tend to be profit-driven to such an extent that they screw over their customers. (Anyone remember the 2008 financial crisis?) They charge exorbitant fees and make you jump through hoops to get what you want.<\/b>\n\nInstead, I recommend small local banks and\/or online accounts.\n\nIn today's low-interest environment, the best bank account you can have is probably one from a local credit union or community bank. Credit unions are great because they're (not-for-profit).\n\nIf interest rates were higher, I'd also recommend opening an online savings account. I have an account at Capital One 360, but that's because the company bought out ING Direct. I don't necessarily recommend this account. (Although I don't <i>not<\/i> recommend it either.\n\n\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"credit-cards\"><\/span>Credit Cards<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\nComing soon.\n\nMy personal card is a Capital One No-Hassle Rewards card. It has no annual fee, provides one percent cash back on every purchase, and doesn't charge me for overseas use.\n\nMy business card is an American Express card that's tied to my Costco account. It gives me one percent cash back on every purchase.\n\nWhen I hang out with other money writers, I'm consistently shocked by how many use the Chase Sapphire preferred card. No joke, they all use it. Here's a photo I took when a bunch of us went out to dinner:\n\nI should have shown my lonely American Express card.\n\n\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"investment-accounts\"><\/span>Investment Accounts<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\nComing soon.\n\nI feel strongly about investment accounts. You don't need a broker. If you're with Charles Schwab or ????, you're just throwing away money. What should you do instead?\n\nYour top choice is to set up an account with Vanguard. They're not-for-profit, and they've revolutionized investing for individual investors.\n\nThere are other options that are okay. Personally, I'm with Fidelity. (It's a long story. If I were starting today, I'd do Vanguard.)\n\nI hear good things about Betterment and ????, but haven't used them myself.\n\n\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"apps-2\"><\/span>Apps<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\nComing soon.\n\nYNAB - https:\/\/www.getrichslowly.org\/go\/ynab\nBeterment\n\nhttps:\/\/www.getrichslowly.org\/go\/personalcapital\n\nI don't recommend Mint. If you use it, that's fine. But my experience with the app has been poor -- it doesn't want to sync with my accounts -- ... I think YNAB is a better option\n\n--><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This page collects some of our favorite financial tools. These are the actual accounts and products that we use every day &#8212; and that Get Rich Slowly readers keep in <em>their<\/em> toolboxes. <strong>If you have suggested additions, please leave a comment below (or send me email).<\/strong><\/p>\n<h2>Get Rich Slowly Tools<\/h2>\n<p>From time to time, we create downloadables and tools for Get Rich Slowly articles. This is the master list of everything we&#8217;ve created so far for this site. <strong>All of these items are free to GRS subscribers.<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Our net worth calculator gives you a template for calculating your current &#8220;score&#8221;. How much are you worth?<\/li>\n<li>Here&#8217;s a one-page PDF with an exercise meant to help you create your personal mission statement.<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;The Money Boss Method&#8221; is a one-page guide to financial freedom. It&#8217;s a quick and dirty summary of what this site is about, describing how <em>you<\/em> can reach early retirement (or any other goal).<\/li>\n<li>For J.D.&#8217;s article on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.getrichslowly.org\/stages-of-financial-freedom\/\">the six stages of financial freedom<\/a>, he shared an image that summarizes the path from financial dependence to financial abundance. By popular request, We&#8217;ve created a PDF version of that roadmap.<\/li>\n<li>A few years ago, J.D. collaborated with his friend Lisa to create a one-hundred word summary of his philosophy on how to be happy. A <em>lot<\/em> of people have asked him to provide a PDF version, so that&#8217;s what he did.<\/li>\n<li>Get Rich Slowly is built on a clear and specific philosophy. We&#8217;ve collected that philosophy into a free 70-page book I call <em>A Brief Guide to Financial Freedom<\/em>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>This library of documents and tools will grow with the Get Rich Slowly website. We&#8217;ll update subscribers now and then when there&#8217;s a new addition.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3287,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.getrichslowly.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/12"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.getrichslowly.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.getrichslowly.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.getrichslowly.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3287"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.getrichslowly.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.getrichslowly.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/12\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.getrichslowly.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}