NFL Players Don’t Make Enough Money

nfl players dont make enough money

Maybe you’re a progressive and wish that NFL players tax rates were higher to fund safety net programs. Maybe you’re a staunch Trump supporter that’s disgusted that players kneel for the national anthem. Perhaps you’re a civil rights supporter who stands with the players in their efforts to achieve social justice for communities of color.

Regardless of where you stand, I believe one thing is clear in this latest Trump vs. NFL battle: the players don’t make enough for their efforts.  Continue reading “NFL Players Don’t Make Enough Money”

Watching Silicon Valley Makes Me Realize How Stupid Tech Stocks Feel Right Now

Image result for jeff bezosSorry I’ve be MIA for a while y’all. Becoming an accidental entrepreneur through my biz Student Loan Planner takes more work that I thought it would.

I was chillin’ at home with the new HBO subscription we got watching that Silicon Valley show with my friends. You know, the one with that guy from the Verizon commercial?

Anyway the show is based on a bunch of dudes holed up in an incubator house in the Valley working on this startup called Pied Piper. The company has this blockbuster algorithm and they’re trying to get users, scale, and make money. Continue reading “Watching Silicon Valley Makes Me Realize How Stupid Tech Stocks Feel Right Now”

FANG, Bitcoin, and the Housing Market All Point to an Irrational Market

Image result for zuckerberg

We’re all taught that markets are efficient. Yes there are times of irrational exuberance, but we can’t know when those times are, so we should keep investing and weather the storm no matter what.

I’m really concerned right now about the state of the economy and markets in general. The FANG stocks (hence my leadoff pic of Zuckerberg), real estate, and especially bitcoin are really ebullient right now. I look around, and everything I see points to danger. Continue reading “FANG, Bitcoin, and the Housing Market All Point to an Irrational Market”

I Don’t Know When Bitcoin Will Crash, But I Know it Will

bitcoin will crash

Idk if you’ve been following the bitcoin market lately, but holy cow there’s a bubble going on there. I feel very confident in predicting it’s demise, unfortunately I just don’t know when that will occur. Here’s a few anecdotal experiences I’ve had in the past few weeks that make me almost positive Bitcoin’s days are numbered.

Continue reading “I Don’t Know When Bitcoin Will Crash, But I Know it Will”

I Had No Idea Pawnshops and Payday Lenders Were So Freaking Expensive

pawnshops and payday loans
Source

The major loan types of loans are car loans, mortgages, student loans, credit card loans, cash advances, and loans from pawnshops and payday lenders. Each category has a different average interest rate charged each year for borrowing money, but one of those stands out as the most absurdly expensive, poverty trap creating weapon of mass financial destruction.

Loans used to buy physical assets like cars or houses typically carry lower interest rates. Next is student loans because of federal government involvement. After that comes credit cards and cash advances. Then way up in the stratosphere is the ridiculous expense of pawnshops and payday lenders. You should avoid using them at all costs. Continue reading “I Had No Idea Pawnshops and Payday Lenders Were So Freaking Expensive”

Why and How I’m Quitting My Obamacare Plan

quitting my obamacare planYou’re never supposed to talk about politics. It’s bad business and it makes people mad at you. It’s hard to come across as neutral when discussing an issue like the Affordable Care Act. Even using the word “Obamacare” sounds like a pejorative to some. I’ll use the term since Pres. Obama said he’s cool with it, and that’s how most people know it. I’m also going to be really personal with you and tell you my own experience and how I came to my decision on quitting my Obamacare plan. Take this with a grain of salt, because I’m sure there are dozens of different opinions on this. Still for folks dealing with the ridiculousness of sky high premiums for horrible health insurance like myself, this article might be really helpful to you.

I’ve recently decided to take a risk with my healthcare because I just can’t stomach paying for something that’s essentially worthless. I’m speaking about my Bronze Affordable Healthcare Act healthcare plan. In honor of the failed Republican AHCA plan that also would’ve created a lot of problems, I’m turning myself into an open book for this blog post to explain why I’m quitting my Obamacare plan and what I’m replacing it with. Continue reading “Why and How I’m Quitting My Obamacare Plan”

The St. Louis MLS Stadium Is a Bad Investment

st. louis mls stadium
Here’s what welfare for millionaires looks like. Thanks to source

I just got a political ad in the mail. It showed off the storied soccer tradition of the great city of St. Louis. It told me that we needed to aspire to be more, and that we could be the city of the future if we only went to the polls this next Tuesday to say yes that we want to be a progressive city with world class professional sports. It all sounds great, except when you realize that a group of multimillionaires are trying to bilk taxpayers out of tens of millions of dollars for their own personal gain. This is true of public stadiums in general. Here’s why the MLS stadium proposal is a rotten deal for St. Louis, and why I’m making sure I go to the polls Tuesday to oppose it.

Continue reading “The St. Louis MLS Stadium Is a Bad Investment”

Remember the McMansion? Now We Need to Resist the McLoft

mcloft

Millennials seem to put off everything. Maybe we’re just waiting around to start our families and move to the suburbs with the white picket fence like everybody else. But maybe not. I’ve seen a surge of friends and acquaintances creating a new housing obsession that’s taking away big bucks that could be going to making us financially independent. These dollars are getting shoveled into the McLoft. Continue reading “Remember the McMansion? Now We Need to Resist the McLoft”

The Economy is Starting to Worry Me

economy worries me
I’m worried there’s a fog shrouding the US economy

After the past several weeks, the economy worries me quite a lot. I read a story recently that auto loans have hit a new high, especially among subprime borrowers. We’re at $1.1 trillion in auto debt and counting. My student loan business also gives me a first hand look at the mounting but slow boiling student debt crisis. I believe we’re currently at $1.5 trillion in student debt in this country. To top it off, Snapchat just put out an IPO at a $24 billion valuation, and that seems like it’s too low since the price went from $17 a share to $24 a share in initial trading. Call me negative nancy, but the economy doesn’t feel good to me right now.  Continue reading “The Economy is Starting to Worry Me”