Comments on: Orson Welles, A Zither, and Personal Finance

By: Jenners

Jenners — Thu, 30 Aug 2007 18:00:55 +0000

Trent,
You included this column in your Retro recommendations yesterday, but the video link doesn’t work anymore.
Jenners

By: Lana

Lana — Mon, 09 Apr 2007 15:22:30 +0000

“The greatest rewards do not come from complacency.”

I couldn’t agree more, and this thought reminds me of a quote from a book I’ve been reading, Radical Careering by Sally Hogshead. My boss passed it to my work partner and I to read, with the thought that they may buy a copy for everyone in our department. (It’s a brilliant book, you should review it!)

Anyway, the quote is: “You can be comfortable, or outstanding, but not both.”

It applies to money just as much as work.

I’m 23, I’m working on paying down my debt, going home for lunch every day instead of out to eat with my coworkers, passing on going out for drinks most times, too. But I want my finances in order now. I want my 401(k), even if I can only contribute 4% while I pay off debts, to thrive in these years while I’m ahead of the game. I want my finances to be outstanding.

Does it sometimes suck to have to tell people that I’d rather not go out to dinner, or to a movie on Saturday night because my budget is already wearing thin on the last paycheck? Sure.

But then, I’ve always found that the best company to have are people with whom you can do absolutely nothing and have a good time.

By: Matt

Matt — Mon, 09 Apr 2007 13:48:44 +0000

“… which expresses the fundamental truth that income that you don’t have to pay a tax on is far more valuable than income that does require an income tax.”

Of course, not having to pay income tax is a good thing, but it shouldn’t be a major factor in your investment decisions. Would you choose a tax-free muni paying 4.5% over a taxable S&P 500 fund returning, on average, 11%? You need to compare after-tax returns when comparing investments. Too many people make bad decisions because of supposed tax benefits (the biggest one being the idea that mortgage interest is good because it’s deductible).

By: rhbee

rhbee — Sat, 07 Apr 2007 16:15:11 +0000

You remind me of my childhood when my family was military and one of the perks was that a movie ticket only cost a dime. I saw this film then when I really didn’t know what it meant but was still amazed at the music. And the view from the roller coaster reminds me of a novel by WT Tyler called the Ants of God which it turns out we all may be. Finally, it may just be serendipity at work but I just finished riding the roller coaster ride offered up on JD’s blog that he used to illustrate graphically the wild ride of the real estate market since 1890.

By: Drew

Drew — Sat, 07 Apr 2007 02:17:54 +0000

The single greatest scene ever filmed? Maybe, but I don’t know. The ending of “The Third Man” might rank more highly in my far-too-long book.

But as far as one of the greatest films up there, “The Third Man” is there. I’m even willing to pony up the cash — can I say that on a “financial” blog? — and buy the new Criterion edition even though I own the old, that’s how much I love this movie.

As far as the financial aspect of the film goes, I’d forgotten how that scene works so well in the larger context of the film that deals with the Viennese black market. The metaphor is never lost throughout the movie. Brilliant stuff.

By: david

david — Fri, 06 Apr 2007 20:43:35 +0000

Personal finance aside, that is the first time that I’ve ever seen a clip of “The Third Man,” which I have heard is one of the greatest films ever made. Based on that 5 minutes, I’m looking forward to seeing the whole thing.

Thanks.