2012

Beat the bidding : Priceline bidding strategies for hotels

This summer I have a lot of travel planned. Between conferences, vacations and family get-togethers, we are looking at dropping a good chunk of change this year on travel. I have a goal of visiting at least eight National Parks this year, so even though most of our stays are going to be in campgrounds, [...]

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Christmas Eve with Charlotte

“Would you like to join me for lunch?” – I asked Charlotte on Christmas eve last year, while she stood at a light with her young son, holding a sign asking for spare cash. I was terrified to ask that question. I was even more terrified when she said “Yes”. I am an introvert; I [...]

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Want to be more productive? Create a NOT To-Do list!

Last Sunday evening, I was all pumped for the first week of being in complete control of my day.  Over the weekend I had compiled a list of topics for the next 3 months, had my color coded to-do list done and had all the books I wanted to read arranged on my reading shelf. [...]

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How to find affordable health insurance for the self-employed (esp. with pre-existing condition)

I seriously contemplated picking up a part time job when I was making a decision about quitting my job. I was not looking for any major pay, my only condition was – insurance. If most of the self-employed folks went through the same thinking process, I can now confidently state that the major barrier to [...]

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Quitting your job is stupid! How are you going to survive now? FAQ questions answered

I am writing this post before the “I’m quitting” post goes live. I will update this post with any questions that were asked in that post, but right now, this is where I stand. If someone quit their job without having another one lined up, I will freak out for them. That is how I [...]

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I am quitting!

Every Monday I got up at 4:00 AM, charged to take on the world. As I got ready, the realization that a 3 hour one-way commute was waiting for me would drain me of all the enthusiasm I had. I immediately felt tired. Still, I ploughed through. I thought that if I gave up I [...]

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You opened a Roth IRA, now what? How do you actually start investing to make Roth work its magic?

Who doesn’t want to retire? Even people who love their careers want to work by choice rather than depending on  a paycheck. I am no different.  So unless you have a rich relative who is going to fund your retirement, you have to figure it all out for yourself. Knowing you have to save for [...]

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Best of money : Tax edition

We are 3 weeks away from this years tax deadline. While you are scrambling to compile all your tax related documents and figuring out how to get maximum refund possible, here are 10 great posts around the blogosphere and tax related graphics to entertain and educate you a bit more on our taxes. Hope you [...]

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Are you chasing your dream or someone else’s?

This post is the first in a series about the passions that drive and shape your life.  I hope this series of posts gets you thinking about what really matters in your life. 5 years ago I had a goal for my life. I had a plan on how to get there all laid out. I was opposed to [...]

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