Nate Allen

Comments:

• Maybe not for your family Casey, but for others: there are several options for online degrees now. For instance, WGU (Western Governors University) has a self-paced education platform that charges $4,000 every 6 months for students to work at their own pace. I’ve read stories about kids graduating as an undergraduate (and enrolling in grad school) before most students even finish traditional high school.

  Post: A Real Education

  Link to comment from March 7, 2024

• Banking. If you’ve ever paid a fee to use an ATM, Charles Schwab Bank’s checking account is worth a look. You can use any bank’s ATMs and, when other banks impose fees, Schwab will rebate them—without limitation.

  Fidelity offers the same thing for ATM fee reimbursement when another bank charges them.

  Cellular service. These days, most cellular customers opt for one of the big three carriers: Verizon, AT&T or T-Mobile. But there’s an alternative called Mint Mobile that offers substantially cheaper plans. Until last year, Mint was an independent company. It’s now owned by T-Mobile and runs on its network. A potential downside: Data speeds for Mint customers are sometimes throttled, so it’s not for everyone. But it might be worth a look

  There are also lots of other discount carriers, for instance Visible (Verizon network), Cricket (AT&T network), etc. Clark Howard usually has good write ups on the comparison between them on his Clark.com website.

  Post: Every Bit Helps

  Link to comment from February 25, 2024

• As always, top notch, Jonathan. A few more off the top of my head to add to your list: 10..Environmental and Social Impact: Beyond personal benefits, money allows us to influence the world positively. Ethical investing and spending can support sustainable practices, promote social equity, and foster economic development that respects the planet. This approach aligns financial decisions with values, contributing to a legacy that extends beyond personal gain to global betterment. 11..Personal Development and Education: Money can be a significant enabler for personal growth, allowing individuals to invest in education, skills training, and experiences that broaden their horizons and improve their life quality. This investment not only benefits the individual but can also have a ripple effect on their community and society by fostering a more educated and skilled populace. 12..Self-Actualization: Money can also serve as a means to pursue personal growth, education, and the realization of one's potential. Investing in experiences, learning new skills, and exploring passions can lead to a more fulfilling and enriched life. This aspect ties money to our journey towards self-actualization, where financial resources help us to achieve our highest personal aspirations beyond basic needs or material desires.

  Post: What Lies Beneath

  Link to comment from February 24, 2024

• The Golden Rule according to some people is (unfortunately) “he who has the gold makes the rules.”

  Post: Losers Weepers

  Link to comment from February 22, 2024

• I would steal food rather than let my kids starve… (Luckily I’ve never had to make such a choice but I wouldn’t necessarily blame someone who did.)

  Post: Losers Weepers

  Link to comment from February 22, 2024

• I love reading contrarian views so you won’t hear any negative comments from me. One question: do you also invest in the MOAT ETF that automates some of the moat criteria that you discuss? In a head to head matchup against the S&P, it does tend to slightly outpace the S&P in terms of CAGR, but at the expense of having a slightly higher standard deviation and slightly lower Sortino and Sharpe. (In other words, investors not being fully compensated for the additional risk.) In any event, thank you for your first (and hopefully not last!) contribution to Humble Dollar! It was an interesting read.

  Post: For the Fun of It

  Link to comment from February 21, 2024

• A website called Amerisleep has a breakdown of the top nightmares people experience, including falling (65%), being chased (63%), death (55%), feeling lost (54%), feeling trapped (52%), and being attacked (50%), among many others.

  Post: Retirement Dreams

  Link to comment from February 20, 2024

• While I largely agree, sea rises can be hedged against by property location and other means, individual governments being overthrown can be hedged against through international diversification and other means (I know someone that keeps a small amount of gold and jewels in case he needs to bribe border guards some day), the sun emitting flares could knock out satellites (including GPS satellites)which is why I keep updated paper maps of my state and surrounding states, etc. While not foolproof, going through the thought process of “what if” might leave you better prepared for an emergency than others around you.

  Post: Faulty Assumptions

  Link to comment from February 19, 2024

• Now I have to ask: any relation to this site’s Richard Quinn?

  Post: Drawn From Memory

  Link to comment from February 3, 2024

• Let us know if you ever decide to write these stories down. I, for one, would love to read them.

  Post: Friends After All

  Link to comment from January 31, 2024