Art vs. Science

You could say that personal finance is a scientific art. On the one hand, it is about money and math. On the other, it’s about values, goals, and self-control. It’s easy to say that the key to financial security is to spend less than you make. Surely, subtracting a smaller spending number from your larger income number will result in a remainder which can be saved or invested. But that is not so simple.

$50 Hamburgers?

How much inflation can the country afford before we’re in trouble?

Let’s discuss.

First, let’s get on the same page about some basics.

If you’ve noticed the price of a thing increasing over time (say, your favorite candy bar or the cost of college tuition), that’s inflation in action.

Economists use the broad increase (or decrease) in prices of goods and services across the country as a measure of economic health.

Fight The Negative

Do you find yourself believing the negative hype and frequently grumbling about how the market is going to tank any minute? Does it seem that all news is bad news, especially when it comes to how it will impact your investments? Maybe the sky is falling, but maybe this is just negative speculation intended to sell newspapers and get eyeballs onto television news screens.