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Weekly linkage
This week’s internet cruising: Lymejello – Wow. Speaking of telling difficult stories. Lyme disease is apparently no joke. I remember seeing the photos in middle school health class–a ringed rash, warnings that it could kill untreated, but not that it was so damned debilitating. My Hopebuilders 5k page – Yeah, I'm a punk. Go donate and push me to run. If I meet my fund-raising goal, I'll run it hard. Tim Gunn Is A National Treasure – "[W]hen I visit department stores and I go to the shop that’s called “woman,” I am horrified! Horrified by the awful, degrading, disrespectful choices that women have." 10 Usability Tips Based on Research…
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The spook who counted her money
I finished The Spook Who Sat By the Door yesterday morning. Sam Greenlee has one hell of a knack for sharp writing, and regardless of my not being a proponent for militantism, the book struck a chord with me. Greenlee got at the heart of the loneliness of being black in a nation and profession that both expects you to act white “enough” (but only so much) and simultaneously disdains you for doing so (as you disdain yourself). It was and is a fine line to walk. There are going to be spoilers here, but nothing that actually ruins the novelty of the book, I hope.
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Mo’ money, mo’ problems: a retirement app idea
I mentioned this obliquely a couple of weeks ago, but I’m wigging out a bit about retirement. In 39 years I will be 65, and I don’t have solid plans with numbers behind them. Socking away $5k a year into an IRA just isn’t enough. Back in the day, I loved, loved, loved Microsoft Money’s Lifetime Planner. It asked you all sorts of questions about when you were going to have a kid and how much you were saving in various accounts, their expected returns, how much you thought you needed to live on in retirement, etc. Then it crunched the numbers and gave you a big graph showing your…
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Quasi-daily linkage
Net Worth – So true. Buttersafe – The Five Stages – This is a particularly well-done Buttersafe comic. The Gen Y Guide to Personal Finance | MintLife Blog | Personal Finance News & Advice – A wonderfully concise guide to getting started saving for retirement. There are certain folks (you know who you are) who I want to beat over the head for their resistance to saving for retirement. I'm slow to start because of my loans, but I'm getting there anyway, and I'm aware of how important it is. Congress at the Cash Register: How Financial Reform Could Affect Your Shopping | MintLife Blog | Personal Finance News &…
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Shenanigans with an insurance salesperson
So I’m trying to get life insurance. Just 20-year level term life insurance. It’s supposed to be cheap and easy to get. Some of the big dogs won’t do online quotes, New York Life in particular. So I agreed to meet with a local agent yesterday morning and let him talk at me over coffee. Yes, coffee, which I don’t go for often. Luckily, it was at Panera Bread, so the coffee was pretty good, although a little aged. We go through the usual rigmarole of “Oh, you used to be a teacher? So did I!” After the meeting, I think I knew pretty well why he ultimately left teaching,…