He probably doesn't need a budget. He just needs to write down expenditures (or download them into a spreadsheet :) ). If there is a problem you need to track spending. I remember back when "quality" was the big initiative. W Edwards Demming was the god of quality initiatives and was famous for saying "how do you know" when people presented problems. You need to know your spending.
off topic (as usual for me) but your civil engineering mention made me think of one of my favorite old computer science quips: "Weinberg's Law:If Builders Built Buildings the Way Programmers Wrote Programs, Then the First Woodpecker That Came Along Would Destroy Civilization"
I know you asked about Schwab vs Vanguard but one thing I like about Fidelity is they have a security feature where you can restrict money transfers from your accounts to any other Fidelity account or external institution. If you need to do a transfer you go to their online security center and unlock.
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He probably doesn't need a budget. He just needs to write down expenditures (or download them into a spreadsheet :) ). If there is a problem you need to track spending. I remember back when "quality" was the big initiative. W Edwards Demming was the god of quality initiatives and was famous for saying "how do you know" when people presented problems. You need to know your spending.
Post: The Monthly Mystery of the Vanishing Paycheck
Link to comment from February 10, 2026
off topic (as usual for me) but your civil engineering mention made me think of one of my favorite old computer science quips: "Weinberg's Law:If Builders Built Buildings the Way Programmers Wrote Programs, Then the First Woodpecker That Came Along Would Destroy Civilization"
Post: Are you an investor?
Link to comment from January 19, 2026
I know you asked about Schwab vs Vanguard but one thing I like about Fidelity is they have a security feature where you can restrict money transfers from your accounts to any other Fidelity account or external institution. If you need to do a transfer you go to their online security center and unlock.
Post: Schwab or Vanguard?
Link to comment from January 12, 2026
maybe everyone knows this but Elder Beermen was a department store at/near Franklin Park Mall (now called something different) in Toledo.
Post: The “Mean Girls”/Junior High Bullies at HumbleDollar
Link to comment from January 9, 2026