Real financial advice for real scientists
“The best way to get ahead in life is by spending more than you earn.” – said no one ever. In order to get out of the paycheck to paycheck cycle, you need to reduce your expenses below what you’re bringing home—sometimes, drastically. You know it. I know it. Everybody knows it. But yet,…
Last week I came back from my first overseas trip. I was really nervous because I’ve never been away from my daily money management routine for so long, and Zach’s about as interested in it as he is particle physics or anything science really (who am I kidding?). I was afraid I’d come back…
Investing used to be terrifying to me. There’s an entire industry built on investing. They even have an entire street of walls somewhere in New York that somehow helps investors (do they pray to it for divinations?). How could a poor little peon like me hope to chip away at all them big riches?…
Pressure cooking used to be about as hip as fondue pots, fruitcake, and those old-school rotisserie apple peelers that everyone’s Nana has. But, pressure cooking’s back on the scene with all the piss and vinegar of the Koolaid man. And it’s not just any ol’ pressure cooker—I’m talking about the Instant Pot. Last July,…
My friends, it’s happened. We have reached a milestone. WE HAVE A NET WORTH OF ZERO DOLLARS. Now, I realize that may be an odd thing to celebrate. No, it does not mean that we have zero dollars in our bank account. It just means that we’ve finally reached a point—for the first time…
“Investing” is one of those last things I had to check off my grown-up list before I turned 30. Because everyone knows if you don’t finish your grown-up list by the time you turn 30, you’ll be forever doomed to wearing diapers, right? (Wait – was that just me?) I didn’t want to start…
Once upon a time I lived in a castle in France. It was OK. Sure, the turrets were pretty high, but sometimes pigeons would roost on them and poop on your head. Luckily I had enough servants around to clean up the mess and feed me avocado toast and cherries one-by-one. I never had…
Did you know the average family vacation costs $4,580? WTF guys. Seriously. If I waited until I had that much disposable income lying around I’d probably be a pile of dust. You don’t need to spend that much on a vacation if you don’t want to. Instead, do it smartly. Take some time to…
I didn’t get to travel a lot as a kid. Once, I even went to Ohio. That’s why I was so surprised when I got out into the Big Girl Pants world and found out that it’s actually pretty common for people to travel—and not just to Ohio. I was flummoxed. I thought travel…
If you would have asked me about a “travel budget” a few years ago, I probably would have stared at you like you’d just grown a third eyeball. That was before I started using a budget in my everyday life, though. Now that I’ve seen the power of having a budget (principally in not…
