Money May Satisfy But Does Not Bring Happiness

I am intrigued by the relationship between money and behavior. Knowing something about it helps me understand why I and the people around me do some of the crazy things that we do with our money and our time.

We often hear that “money can’t buy happiness.”  This suggests that society in general is aware of and believes in the truth behind the words.

So why doesn’t society act like they believe it? Why is there so much political discourse and media focus on who has money and who doesn’t? Read more

My Weekly Personal Finance Reader

I found a few interesting and amusing writings this week to share:

My oldest son understands my attitude about young adults who go to law school or who enter an MBA program because they have nothing better to do. He sent me a link to this funny piece about a year of law school is now mandatory for 25 year old Americans.

Also on the cynically humorous side (my favorite side) was this post on “8 Signs Your Money Hates You.”

Generation X Finance compiled a nice list of free online finance courses. 

I discovered a new blog this week called Bad Money Advice. I don’t agree with everything he says but I like the way he writes (his cynicism reminds me of me) and the topics he selects. He apparently has a lot of time on his hands to polish his work because he is an unemployed former hedge fund manager.  Anyway, check his stuff out for yourself.

For some additional things to read, visit this week’s Carnival of Personal Finance and the Money Hacks Carnival (where my article was an editor’s pick).

Have a warm and sunny weekend.

When the Government Really Prints Money

The cry that “the government  is just printing money”  is one of those phrases that is overused and misunderstood  by some Americans who are concerned about massive government spending. This phrase is actually a truism, as the government must regularly print money to replace currency that is old and must be destroyed. Read more

My Life as a Volunteer Tax Preparer – Week 7

For the first time, my weekly experience in the volunteer tax preparer office was somewhat disappointing. Although I met some interesting people and completed 4 of 5 returns, there were none of the uplifting stories that I had become accustomed to hearing. Nevertheless, I think the stories may still be worth telling and learning from. Read more

Government v. AIG: Hypocrisy Speaks

I do not like that AIG paid bonuses of any size to employees who orchestrated the high risk transactions that brought AIG to the brink of collapse.

On the other hand, I am fed up with the sanctimonious expressions of anger and threats of retaliation emanating from Washington about the AIG bonuses. This is true hypocrisy in action. Read more

Is a Middle Class Tax Increase on the Way?

President Obama lost control over the spendulus bill, letting both the House and Senate tack on some of their favorite new social programs.

More recently, the President stood by meekly as Congress stuffed the omnibus spending bill with raw pork.  His only defense was that it was “last year’s business.”  That’s a funny one, considering that Obama was part of  ”last year’s business”  himself.

Now it appears that Congress may have its own ideas about how to fund the President’s new health care initiatives.  The White House wanted to fund it by scaling back itemized deductions for taxpayers making over $250,000 per year.  Congress may very well reject that idea and substitute a middle class tax increase. Read more

A Must See Interview of Fed Chair Ben Bernanke

If you watched tonight’s extended 60 Minutes interview of Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, good for you.  If you didn’t – and if you care anything about the future of our economy – I strongly encourage you to watch it.  This is a rare event. Fed Chairmen just never do press interviews.  Bernanke is making a rare exception for these special times in our economy. Read more

Welcome to the Financial Hard Truth – Can You Handle it?

Welcome new readers and visitors to Tough Money Love, one man’s blog about the hard truth of money and personal finance.  This is a place for me and for you to read and share information and opinions on all aspects of our financial lives.

If you are new to this site or new to the world of blogging in general, I encourage you to keep reading this message to learn more about what’s here and how you can participate. Read more

My Starbutts Drive-by

Have you seen a collection of butts like these?  I have.

This past week I drove through the parking lot of a local business center to drop off a movie we had rented. Next door to the movie store was our local Starbucks. It was quite busy with the “on the way to work” morning latte’ and muffin crowd. Read more

Blog Updates and Carnivals

I have spent many hours this weekend on the nuts and bolts part of blogging, e.g., upgrading the software that operates both Tough Money Love and my Go To Retirement blog.  I did this primarily for security reasons, as there are lots of folks out there who are actively trying to hack WordPress blog sites.  Some of my fellow bloggers are experiencing this now. Read more

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