Disqus - Latest Comments for Four Pillars

Re: Festival of Frugality #119: The Quitting My Day Job to Blog Full Time Edition

Four Pillars — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 19:47:19 -0000

You got me! haha

Re: Festival of Frugality #119: The Quitting My Day Job to Blog Full Time Edition

Four Pillars — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 09:08:22 -0000

Good job on the carny and congrats on the stickin' it to the man! (or whatever) :)

Mike

Re: Overspending for the Kids

Four Pillars — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 22:25:35 -0000

I just stumbled across this article - quite excellent.

Today's parents do not say 'no' enough - I mean spending is all relative, for some families the expenses you mentioned would be cheap. Since their debts are rising they need to cut back and they can start with the kids.

Mike

Re: Carnival of Personal Finance is up!

Four Pillars — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 23:22:15 -0000

Thanks for the link - I fixed the typo!

Mike

Re: I made a stupid money mistake this week.

Four Pillars — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 12:53:25 -0000

That sucks.

I keep my "budget" of upcoming expenses on a spreadsheet - which of course is just as prone to error as any other system.

I also keep an extra balance in the account so I don't have to worry too much about the exact dollar figure of items coming out of the account. It's not the most efficient use of cash but it works for me.

Mike

Re: Festival of Frugality #121 - Tax Day Edition is up!

Four Pillars — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 13:38:45 -0000

Thanks for the link!

Mike

Re: My "frugalist" and "dumbest" home improvement project ever

Four Pillars — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 13:54:51 -0000

Neat project and a good learning experience.

One thing that I always tell people to keep in mind is that for a project which is fairly labor-intensive (like this one), think about hiring someone to help - either a student or a day-laborer. It will reduce your "profit" but might make the project a lot easier.

Re: Please pray for my wife

Four Pillars — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 23:55:18 -0000

I'm sorry your wife is having these problems. Hopefully she will recover 100% and soon!

Mike

Re: Guest Post: Concentrate On Savings

Four Pillars — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 14:38:44 -0000

Llama - very true. I was just trying to show that the returns from savings are probably easier than the investment returns. Some people (like me) focus too much on insignificant investment details when I should be working on saving money.

Remodel - I agree that saving has to come first.

Mike

Re: Guest Post: Concentrate On Savings

Four Pillars — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 14:35:07 -0000

Thanks Pinyo - I should note that Saver Bob only has the advantage for a certain amount of time. After about 30 years, the higher rate of return for Trader Tim moves him ahead.

Mrs. Micah - I agree that VFINX is more stable than most (although still volatile of course).

Mike

Re: Why automatic enrollment in 401(k)s might not always be for the best

Four Pillars — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 23:02:58 -0000

I couldn't leave a comment on the right post but I loved the "man on the moon" post.

We used to steal larger monitors from cubicles of people who left the company and of course were always afraid we'd be caught.

Mike

Re: wooden nickels

Four Pillars — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 07:38:15 -0000

BB - sorry about your loss!

Mike

Re: reverse mortgages

Four Pillars — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 20:33:24 -0000

I don't think reverse mortgages are a horrible deal but I don't understand why your parents don't just sell the house? What is their logic for keeping it? The whole point of a rm is to be able to stay in the same house even if you can't really afford it.
They should sell it, invest the $$ and just rent an apartment if they need to have their own place to call home.

Mike

Re: Credit cards don’t cause debt, people do

Four Pillars — Fri, 03 Aug 2007 00:28:37 -0000

Great title! Lol.

This is a really good idea - I got my first card in college (or university as we call it) and used & abused it to no end. Maybe if I had a bit of training with the thing in high school it might have worked out better.

I'm definitely doing this with my son!

Mike

Re: carnivals and a baby

Four Pillars — Tue, 07 Aug 2007 11:40:09 -0000

Thanks for the link BB!

Mike

Re: fireworks

Four Pillars — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 17:45:47 -0000

When I was in my twenties I was single and had no money so working a lot of hours to get ahead made sense at the time (and still does to some extent). However after almost getting laid off several years ago after working my butt off for the new company I realized that there is no benefit to sacrificing yourself for someone else. You might get a slightly higher raise or bonus but you'll get paid a lot more per hour if you just work regular hours.
I'm in the same position as u BB - married + kid + pretty good 9-5 job and although the work is boring, I wouldn't want to change it (now at least).

Mike

Re: linklings: hunk of burning blogging edition

Four Pillars — Sat, 11 Aug 2007 11:31:56 -0000

Thanks for the link!

I love getting comments on my posts - more so than high traffic. I've only had my blog for 2.5 months or so but it's been interesting that I can't seem to predict which posts will generate more interest. Might be luck of the draw to some degree depending on who is reading your blog that day?

Also - as much fun as it's been, the baby theme is temporary!!

Mike

Re: flying on the cheap (for the airlines, not for you)

Four Pillars — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 23:30:22 -0000

$212 for a free flight? How much time did you spend in the bathroom?
:)

Re: Sunday poll

Four Pillars — Sun, 19 Aug 2007 19:39:22 -0000

Thanks for the link BB.

I don't post on weekends mainly because most other blogs that I follow don't. I also find my weekend traffic drops significantly which indicates that there are a lot of people who do most of their surfing at work maybe?

Mike

Re: find a nickel, pick it up

Four Pillars — Sat, 25 Aug 2007 00:18:50 -0000

I would pick up a nickel - but not a penny :)

David - please tell me you harvest the good stuff and only put the small change in the coinstar? I think they charge 10%.

Mike

Re: 7 things to consider before you buy stuff

Four Pillars — Sat, 25 Aug 2007 00:26:04 -0000

I like your thought about packaging, we've gotten a few items delivered recently and it's unbelievable how much packaging there was. I guess delivery is charge by weight - not by volume of the box.

Mike

Re: Linkling Massive Baby Roundup Edition

Four Pillars — Sat, 25 Aug 2007 14:10:01 -0000

Thanks a lot for the ton of links! Very nice.

Bubelah - I agree, I'd rather change Junior on the floor.

Mike

Re: Sunday poll - popular or rich?

Four Pillars — Sun, 26 Aug 2007 12:50:28 -0000

I don't either scenario is all that likely (although I know it happens). I'm with Plonkee - comments are one the main reason I have my own blog.

Mike

Re: Sunday poll - popular or rich?

Four Pillars — Sun, 26 Aug 2007 12:51:30 -0000

Also - I do the RSS thing but I often go the actual site for the same reasons you mentioned (comments, extras etc).

Mike

Re: second big book giveaway!

Four Pillars — Mon, 27 Aug 2007 23:17:52 -0000

Ironically I posted on this book tonight...

I just read the book about a month ago and I would say that it is very good.

I'll excuse myself from the competition since I'd rather the book go to someone who hasn't read it yet.

Mike

Re: Brip Blap around the web

Four Pillars — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 23:34:51 -0000

Way to go!

I've thought about doing guest posts but the thought of some of my material sitting on someone else's blog just drives me nuts. Call me crazy!

Mike

Re: ten tips for new bloggers

Four Pillars — Fri, 31 Aug 2007 11:17:53 -0000

Great lists.
I'll disagree about the need to post 7 days a week - although that would increase the readership I'd say the posts during the five business days are the important ones to do. If you are really keen on building readership then go for it - I'm more worried about burnout.
I didn't know that wordpress allows future posting - will have to look into this.
Partial feeds drive me nuts.
In the Canadian PF world - linkposts are part of the scenery. I haven't done one yet but I don't have a problem with them.

Mike

Re: ten tips for new bloggers

Four Pillars — Sat, 01 Sep 2007 17:02:38 -0000

PaidTwice - interesting comment about the RSS fee. I don't know how most surfers manage their subscriptions but once I add someone, I only ever remove them if:
A. I don't like their material or B. too many sponsored posts.

Ironically if I add someone and they never post again, I will probably never remove the subscription.

Mike

Re: Late linklings

Four Pillars — Sat, 01 Sep 2007 21:04:32 -0000

I'm a pretty good Mom too - I can do all the things that Brip Blap mentioned but I have to be honest - I have no desire to stay home with him everyday. I'd rather go to work and enjoy the time I have with him before and after work and on weekends.

Mike

Re: Late linklings

Four Pillars — Sat, 01 Sep 2007 22:03:09 -0000

By the way - thanks for putting me on your "Brip Blap recommends" list.

Mike

Re: Sunday poll

Four Pillars — Sun, 02 Sep 2007 20:09:36 -0000

I can't imagine what that job would be....
Ok, I got one - if I was independantly wealthy and managing my own finances, then I would turn on the computer on a holiday to check and see how the investments were doing :).

Mike

Re: midweek linkfest

Four Pillars — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 07:36:24 -0000

Thanks for the link!

Mike

Re: Dark day

Four Pillars — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 08:56:40 -0000

Fascinating post - I can't imagine that 9-11 affected most Canadians as much as most Americans but I can remember that day like it was yesterday. We ended up getting a couple of days off work and I spent every minute watching CNN.

Mike
p.s. I'm a bit behind in my reading.

Re: to tip or not to tip

Four Pillars — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 11:17:27 -0000

Australia has it right - no tipping and the prices on the menu have the taxes included. If the dinner is listed at $20 then that's what it costs you.

Mike

Re: a building mental storm

Four Pillars — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 15:47:50 -0000

I hate to be the voice of de-inspiration but I'm going for number four (suck it up). I'm planning on a retirement at 55 however, not 60.

Whether I want to do something different or not, the fact is that I've set myself up to be extremely dependant on a good steady wage. I have a nice house (and big mortgage), and wife who is not working and a child. When I was single and renting an apartment I had a lot more flexibility in terms of work or even areas to live in but those days are over.

Mike

Re: a building mental storm

Four Pillars — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 23:01:36 -0000

Mike-TWA - I would argue that in my case since I have a big mortgage and a wife who isn't working, we're not really sacrificing now - those are choices that cost a lot of money that we didn't have to make.

Mike

Re: linklings - Friday, October 5, 2007

Four Pillars — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 11:08:58 -0000

Congrats on hitting the century mark on your subscriber list!

Mike

Re: belated carnival mention

Four Pillars — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 23:30:32 -0000

Whoa! I like your new presentation - very nice!

Mike

FourPillars's last blog post..The Big RESP Series

Re: blog action day

Four Pillars — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 11:16:29 -0000

Excellent idea...

Mike

Re: the myth of the parent that NEEDS to work

Four Pillars — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 10:03:28 -0000

Cute kid!

Mike

Re: follow the white rabbit to financial freedom

Four Pillars — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 19:23:01 -0000

Awesome - the Matrix is one of the greatest movies ever.

Will you be e-mailing blue pills to the top commentators? :)

Mike

Re: carnivals, guest posts and links

Four Pillars — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 23:07:15 -0000

I moved my blogroll to a separate page a few weeks ago - I think if you have a large roll this is more worthwhile.

I liked the blog format article but sometimes it's tough to say what to get rid of or to change the format of.

Mike

Re: public declaration and some news

Four Pillars — Tue, 30 Oct 2007 08:34:34 -0000

Congrats on the new baby...any due date estimate?

Mike

Re: spooky links, 10-31-07

Four Pillars — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 10:15:09 -0000

I read to the end!

Thanks for the link and nice words.

Mike

Re: contest!

Four Pillars — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 07:09:49 -0000

700 hits/day? Wow - that's awesome!

Mike

Re: guest post: learning to truly love what you have

Four Pillars — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 11:44:31 -0000

I'm trying to get my wife to purge some of her old clothes. She reads this blog too, so I don't have to say it in person :)

Mike

Re: guest post: learning to truly love what you have

Four Pillars — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 23:24:09 -0000

Hilarious - I saw Alice Cooper in concert once - I think it was the best show I've ever seen. He does a radio show somewhere in southern Ontario which is pretty cool.

Mike

Re: 101 thoughts on losing 100 pounds

Four Pillars — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 12:39:17 -0000

Nice list!

Jogging is easier when you have good shoes.

I'll add that jogging (or any activity for that matter) is easier with less weight to carry (or bounce) around.

Mike

Re: 101 thoughts on losing 100 pounds

Four Pillars — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 23:16:35 -0000

BB - you gotta bite the bullet on the cold weather - dress as warm as necessary, cover as much as you have to, apply vasoline on exposed skin if you must, and get out there - once you get going there is no difference between jogging in the summer or winter.

Mike

Re: 67 ways to outlive 106 billion people

Four Pillars — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 23:20:46 -0000

Wow, great comment.

I'm not a huge news reader but I always thought the "news" was a worthy thing to watch on tv. After reading this comment, I will have to rethink that idea.

Mike

Re: saving money on books

Four Pillars — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 09:46:33 -0000

I'm with you on The Stand and LOTR - I used to be a huge King fan. Battlefield Earth? It started out ok but I hated it by the end.

Mike

Re: site change

Four Pillars — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 23:59:19 -0000

I'm with Ruth - no rotating pics.

New look is a bit funny since you have nothing in the middle -I'm inclined to suggest putting the title there but I'll give it a few days and see how it goes.

Mike

Re: site change

Four Pillars — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 08:56:49 -0000

Looks good now - title is where it should be!

Mike

Re: Q&A with Millionaire Mommy Next Door

Four Pillars — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 15:05:47 -0000

I like the parental mission statement as well -but unfortunately I don't think it's very realistic. From what I understand from friends who have older kids than I, you just can't treat a four year old like an adult and expect them to make the right choices.

Mike

Re: unusual things I’m thankful for

Four Pillars — Thu, 22 Nov 2007 11:55:12 -0000

I'm with you on the screwdrivers...

what happened on 01.20.09 ? wedding?

Re: unusual things I’m thankful for

Four Pillars — Thu, 22 Nov 2007 15:47:07 -0000

Haha, I was reading it Sep 20, 2001.

Re: wrapping up the holiday weekend

Four Pillars — Sun, 25 Nov 2007 23:57:20 -0000

You're welcome!

And thank you for creating such a great blog.

Re: Thanksgiving - you guys do this holiday right! This is the one time of year when I wish I had dual citizenship.

Mike

Re: guest post: working parents are not a bad thing

Four Pillars — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 13:10:04 -0000

I have to agree with you. I think the whole "it's better for the kids to stay home" thing is a bit overdone.

I don't think it hurts to have two role models to look up to that both work for a living.

That said it depends on the situation - as Steve has mentioned if the mother is working 12 hour days then that's probably not that great for the homelife but how many people work 12 hour days?

Mike

Re: my 2008 financial resolution

Four Pillars — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 10:51:41 -0000

Bubelah - if that thing looks like Steve to you then I'm guessing he must have a great personality?? :)

Mike

Re: linklings, Odin’s Day edition

Four Pillars — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 11:58:38 -0000

Bubelah - that is very weird.

Guinness - that's interesting that Toronto goes overboard with Xmas - I didn't realize that not everyone does this :)

You would have loved what I saw last night - I was walking home from the grocery store and this car was stopped at a light as I crossed the intersection. The guy had his window rolled all the way down (in the cold) and had some loud song playing and he was howling away and be-bopping to the music. It would have been amusing enough except that he was also dressed up as Santa...I couldn't help but laugh.

Mike

Re: November stats

Four Pillars — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 23:22:08 -0000

Kudos on the stats!

Mike

Re: how to obtain an extraordinary job

Four Pillars — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 08:50:01 -0000

Great post - makes me feel better about my "regular job paycheque".

Mike

Re: linklings, Odin’s Day edition

Four Pillars — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 09:10:31 -0000

Steve - the sad thing is that I've heard of GWAR from seeing them on Springer (yes, I used to watch him).

Fecundity - you're right - simply not enough metal at Christmas.

Mike

Re: how to be a good partner to a stay-at-home spouse

Four Pillars — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 09:31:55 -0000

“Secrets of the Baby Whisperer” - I loved this book. I wish we had read it earlier.

Steve, I think you should write a "How to be a good stay-at-home partner to a working spouse" (if you dare!).

Or maybe Bebulah could write it.

Mike

Re: how to be a good partner to a stay-at-home spouse

Four Pillars — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 13:31:10 -0000

have to put on a dress and pearls and meet Hubby at the door with a drink…

That's exactly the kind of thing I'm talking about!

Mike

Re: is college worth it? (part 2)

Four Pillars — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 09:11:06 -0000

Great post and a very interesting comparison.

One point you didn't mention is that during their working years, Fred (college dude) would have a much higher standard of living than Paul which has to be worth something.

One other key point (and I know there are 14 million possible scenarios) is that you assume both men save the same amount of after-tax income which is a valid assumption but the fact is that Fred (college dude) has the opportunity to save a much higher percentage of his after-tax income than Paul does which if taken advantage of, might tip things toward Fred.

Mike

Re: is college worth it? (part 2)

Four Pillars — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 09:53:41 -0000

I hear what you are saying but I still have to disagree. FB noted quite accurately in the first comment that someone making about $18,000 will have to spend a large portion of their net income just to stay alive. As you pointed out, the region where they live will make a big difference.

Someone who lives alone in a bigger city and makes $18,000 / yr does not have the same opportunity to save as the comparable person who makes $45k/yr. I also don't agree that most people will live up to their salary. Most people I know do raise their standard of living as they make more money but they also raise their savings rate as well.

Mike

Re: is college worth it? (part 2)

Four Pillars — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 12:52:33 -0000

SD - saving for retirement at 24 and more importantly, thinking about retirement at age 24 is awesome - way ahead of 99% of the population.

Mike

Re: how to start investing

Four Pillars — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 10:58:43 -0000

Too many people try and overanalyze the process

I'd just like to point out that over analyzing can be a lot of fun sometimes!

Mike

Re: 6 classes every well-rounded person needs

Four Pillars — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 07:22:25 -0000

Great list - I couldn't agree more about the typing.

I would imagine most people would be taking typing courses in school these days? (I hope).

Mike

Re: 6 classes every well-rounded person needs

Four Pillars — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 08:57:07 -0000

I would also suggest a course in maintaining a home/condo. This could be part of the home making course.

Re: spend less than you earn - the wrong way to think

Four Pillars — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 09:05:51 -0000

Some great ideas about how to make extra money.

I disagree that you have to work until 65 just because you don't have any "extra income". The reality is that the amount you can save from your total income, regardless of the source, combined with how much you spend, will determine when you can retire.

Another thing to keep in mind is that not everyone wants to work extra hours for money. A lot of people would be well served (perhaps even better served) to work on spending less money rather than trying to earn more. Another idea is that someone who perhaps makes a good salary could use some of their extra time doing things that they would normally hire someone else to do like house maintenance, cleaning etc. This won't provide extra income but it will save a lot of $$.

Re: you might be a personal finance redneck if…

Four Pillars — Mon, 24 Dec 2007 07:26:03 -0000

Great stuff...did you make them all up?

lol.

Mike

Re: linklings, “no Wii under the tree” edition

Four Pillars — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 09:57:42 -0000

Interesting thought about travelling with kids - I'm definitely afraid of it but we're going to do it anyways. I think the key is to change (lower?) your expectations compared to the trips that you used to do. I used to enjoy pretty action packed trips but now I have to adjust to a much slower pace. I'm sure it will be fun as long as I don't start yearning for the "old days"... :)

Mike

Re: cash rules

Four Pillars — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 10:21:48 -0000

Guilty as charged!

I've done it in the past and even though I know it's wrong (like speeding) I'll probably do it again. I feel guilty that I don't feel guilty about it. :)

House renovation (or remodelin' as you USA types are wont to say) is another prime area for cash jobs.

Mike

Re: shifting tastes

Four Pillars — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 18:53:56 -0000

I've kind of gone from mostly hard rock to mostly sports talk radio :)

I have to say that I still enjoy everything I've liked in the past even if I don't listen to it very often. Since I don't really listen to a lot of music now, the second question doesn't really apply.

Mike

Re: linklings, 2007 is so passé edition

Four Pillars — Sun, 30 Dec 2007 18:50:31 -0000

Congrats on the upcoming baby girl! Having had one baby (boy) already I'm not the least bit concerned about the sex of the next one since there are so many more important things to worry about.

Yes, toddlers are easy to amuse and are a lot of work!!

Mike

Re: guest post: a Tashkent New Year

Four Pillars — Mon, 31 Dec 2007 17:06:08 -0000

Great post - very interesting to hear about other customs.

Mike

Re: net worth or net worthless?

Four Pillars — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 09:02:11 -0000

Great post. Very similar to the one I was thinking of writing :)

When I first became "financially aware", I kept track of net worth because it was a great motivator for me. However at that time my net worth was basically made up of my debts so my "net worth" was really a proxy for my debt. Later on I stopped calculating the net worth because the changes in net worth didn't track my actions ie house value/markets might go up or down which had nothing to do with my contributions or debt payments.

As you also mentioned, a more relevant calculation is to look at the income you can derive from your investments and compare that to the income you need to live on.

Mike

Re: net worth or net worthless?

Four Pillars — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 10:55:13 -0000

One of the things most people do not include in their net worth is their income from their job or other sources, which is not technically part of your net worth, but is most often the most valuable asset you have.

Patrick - interesting statement.

A few years ago I almost got laid off from my job and I went through a quick exercise where I looked at my assets (that I could earn income from), debts, costs etc and realized very quickly that my income is indeed my biggest asset.

This might not be true for someone who is getting close to retirement.

Mike

Re: developing a millionaire mindset

Four Pillars — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 08:54:52 -0000

I just want to point out that it doesn't hurt to listen (at least once) to people who don't support your point of view.

I hope I don't get banned from your master list... :)

Mike

Re: how to talk to your teenager about personal finance

Four Pillars — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 08:51:37 -0000

Good stuff.

You mentioned that the income from the custodial account is not taxable until it reaches $850. Is this per year or cumulative? Also, does this include just interest + dividends or does it include unrealized capital gains as well?

Mike

Re: how to talk to your teenager about personal finance

Four Pillars — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 13:03:09 -0000

Wow - still sounds like a great idea (the custodial account that is).

Canadian taxes are not simple but from anecdotal evidence I would say that for a normal simple return a Canadian return would be easier than an American. This is strictly based on things I've read on blogs so it might not be true...

Mike

Re: learning how to let go

Four Pillars — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 21:37:14 -0000

Great post.

I really like #3 (take a picture).

As for your old tv, I remember putting my old crt computer monitor out to the curb a couple of years ago with a note on it saying "it works"...no luck.

Mike

Re: linklings 10,000 B.C. edition

Four Pillars — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 08:59:28 -0000

Thanks for the links. My wife came up with the blog name after Mr. Cheap and I joined forces...and yes, it was definitely a play on the movie name (which I also recommend).

I'm glad you liked the post on returns.

Great roundup!

Mike

Re: like money falling from the sky

Four Pillars — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 11:14:30 -0000

Interesting post - I knew I had read your "coin" story somewhere else, but I couldn't figure out where. :)

Mike

Re: giving gifts in the office

Four Pillars — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 20:14:51 -0000

Man, this post says it all!

We don't go as far as bdays but we always do a gift ceremony thing for people who are having babies and leaving the company. I don't mind it so much but in my office the card is always put into an inter-office envelope and if someone decides that your dept knows the person well enough then all your names get put on the envelope and you have to cross it off. Very annoying, especially if you barely know/hate the person.

I've only ever not done it a couple of times when a) I really didn't like the person and b) there was a woman who I didn't like was having her 9th baby (approximately) and I just didn't have it in me to donate any money or write something on the card.

I will say however in my office that the $$ amount is totally voluntary.

Another thing that annoys me is that we have management driven "charity" draws where the admins will go around and ask you to buy tickets - pretty hard to say no.

Mike

p.s. - for the record - Mrs. Pillars and I used to work at the same company.

Re: linklings, everything’s going gray edition

Four Pillars — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 23:27:16 -0000

Sounds like a rough week - I hope your relative gets better soon.

Mike

Re: why I don’t talk about real estate investing

Four Pillars — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 22:36:16 -0000

Nice pic! - of course I'm talking about the For Sale sign - that's the kind of shot I was looking for when I did my FSBO post recently. Where do you get your post photos?

As for the before & after...very impressive. I'm actually impressed that as a 101 pounds-overweight-man you don't look as big as I thought you would.

Mike

Re: meeting my 2008 financial goals

Four Pillars — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 09:13:19 -0000

Very funny post. :)

I'll say the same thing here that I said over at Finance and Fat on this topic.

Bloggers who remove ads from their site because they are not "appropriate" are underestimating the intelligence of their readers.

I don’t care if you have payday loan ads or strip club ads or pretty much anything. TV shows have commercials, radio shows have commercials, magazines have commercials - even highways have commercials (billboards) - and blogs have ads. And much like "ethical" investments - how do you decide what makes the cut?

Monetize away and don’t worry about the readers. Trust me, dumb people who don't know any better don't read your blog.

Mike

Re: meeting my 2008 financial goals

Four Pillars — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 10:35:59 -0000

Apparently most ads generate clicks from search engine traffic - not regular readers. Text link ads are sometimes bought just for the "link juice" - not necessarily for clicks. Check out the links in my 'Featured Sites' - there's no way they are getting any clicks out of my visitors.

I completely agree about the aesthetics - I use a plugin called "who sees ads" - Pinyo wrote about it today in fact:

http://www.blogthority.com/29-increase-your-ads...

I use it on my site so that Adsense is only visible to search engine traffic or on posts older than 20 days. You can use it for any type of ad.

Another thing I do sometimes is to put in an ad on a post after the fact ie if you write a Prosper post then maybe a week later you can put a banner inside the post which is not something you would probably want for a fresh post.

Mike

Re: weekend roundup, odd sign edition

Four Pillars — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 22:25:48 -0000

Thanks for the link - and a great list of posts. I've got some readin' to do.

Mike

Re: a clear and present danger: the humanities

Four Pillars — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 23:47:12 -0000

Hmmm..you had me too - and I was all ready to agree with you.

Good thing I can still read the small print!

I'd like to point out that science or engineering or math does not entail "not thinking" which you imply. I also don't have a problem with limiting financial assistance to someone who is taking an extraordinarily long time finishing their degree.

Looks like I ended up commenting on it anyways.. :)

Mike

Re: a clear and present danger: the humanities

Four Pillars — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 14:31:06 -0000

Every effort should be made by the government to help people get a college degree.

Why? So that every single burger flipper has a degree?

I think education is great but the more everyone has, the less the returns are.

Mike

Re: a brief foray into political what-ifs

Four Pillars — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 09:18:27 -0000

FB - I think the wait times are pretty random. If you go to the emergency then you might wait one hour or you might wait six hours or longer - there is no way to predict.

This is probably worth a post in itself but I really think that people in Canada don't appreciate the health care system we have. They seem to measure the effectiveness not by the compentency of the doctors they see or how well they get stitched up but rather by the wait times. All you ever hear up here with respect to health care is complaing about wait times!

If you have ever worked in a call centre then you know that the only way to cut down on customer wait times is to have more staff on hand for the busy times. The problem is that this results in too much staff for the non-busy times which costs more money. The other issue is the type of call/patient - some take longer than others.

If hospitals were to guarantee short wait times they would have to hire a lot more staff which costs money - plus they would have to cut down on the service they give, so if you go in when it's busy then you will get the 15 minute treatment regardless of what your illness/injury is.

It's one thing to go to the grocery store and complain about the lack of cashiers because you know they don't make much money and it shouldn't be too hard for the store to hire more - but when you are talking about a hospital hiring more professionals who make $200k+, it's a different story.

Mike

Re: a brief foray into political what-ifs

Four Pillars — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 09:13:25 -0000

FB - that doesn't sound very good.

Maybe you should consider moving to Canada... :)

Mike

Re: 38 random thoughts on building prosperity

Four Pillars — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 21:58:31 -0000

Hi Steve - this comment is for your Prosper post - I couldn't leave a comment there - seems to be a technical problem.

Anyways:

Neat post.

I think that normal lending/borrowing works for situations where the odds of the money getting paid back is fairly reasonable.

For a long shot deal like an independent movie I just can't see how it would work for lenders or borrowers.
As a lender I want the potential return to equal the risk - but the interest rate I would have to charge to cover the risk of a film would be astronomical ie 200%. As a borrower, it wouldn't make much sense to get expensive financing for a long shot deal.

Equity financing would be much better suited - share the profits if any.

I don't know if there are Prosper-style sites for equity lending (might be an idea) but I think that would be the way to go for long shot deals.

Mike

Re: linklings, getting caught up a bit edition

Four Pillars — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 09:37:23 -0000

Hi Steve - no new blog for you!

Thanks for the link - In your situation as a consultant I agree that a cash emergency fund is a good thing - bigger is probably better.

Interestingly enough the Canuck government announced last night (undoubtedly in response to my post) the creation of a new non-taxable account similar to your Roth 401k which removes a big part of my argument for not having a cash emergency fund since there will be no on-going tax drag with this new account.

Re: linklings, getting caught up a bit edition

Four Pillars — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 08:47:07 -0000

Thanks for the link - I think my previous comment got lost in the filter...

Mike

Re: February roundup

Four Pillars — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 23:20:27 -0000

Thanks a lot for doing this post. It makes me feel really good that I can refer enough traffic to make someone's top 10 list.

Mike

Re: the double digit myth

Four Pillars — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 23:37:05 -0000

The fact is that nobody - even Buffet, knows what the market is going to do over the next several decades. As you know, I am all about ETFs and asset allocation and will live with whatever the investment return gods decide is right for me.. :)

Mike

Re: The Big Book Giveaway

Four Pillars — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 23:50:52 -0000

And the award for the most complicated book giveaway goes to.... :)

I'll take whatever book is available - I'm not picky!

Re: The Big Book Giveaway

Four Pillars — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 18:35:14 -0000

Ok, I think I've figured it out.

1=Getting Things Done
2= Zen To Done
3=Your Money or Your Life
4= The Greatest Salesman in the World
5= X Marks The Spot

Also - write about whatever you want.

Re: the big book giveaway

Four Pillars — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 07:07:48 -0000

Thanks for the link to the carnival.

Mike

Re: poor kid blues

Four Pillars — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 21:47:35 -0000

Apparently you were a funny looking kid too (if that's your pic!) :)

Great post - funny thing is that I have never thought this because my parents were very middle class - however they of course always talked about how poor they were - when they were kids but also when they were newly married which I find quite strange since they were both teachers and managed to buy a house + cottage.

Mike

Re: linklings, failed failures

Four Pillars — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 00:02:27 -0000

I liked the series too....you can't always judge the audience by the comments.

Mike

Re: fools

Four Pillars — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 22:39:18 -0000

I like Ben's quote - lol.

Anyways - I am the epitome of #7 - very complacent (with respect to my career at least).

Great post.

Mike

Re: fools

Four Pillars — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 22:39:57 -0000

I just noticed your new byline - very nice!

Re: linklings, money writers edition

Four Pillars — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 13:43:06 -0000

Thanks a lot for the link.

We just had our daughter a couple of days ago (post will be coming on Monday) so the baby gift suggestion post was not completely altruistic.. :)

Mike

Re: March Mathematics Madness!

Four Pillars — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 20:22:52 -0000

Thanks for the link. "A beautiful mind" was a pretty good movie as I recall.

Mike

Re: linklings, springing into action edition

Four Pillars — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 10:15:30 -0000

Thanks BB - she's been a lot of fun.

You've got some interesting articles listed here.

Mike

Re: Can I tolerate my son’s religious education?

Four Pillars — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 10:50:58 -0000

Interesting post.

I wouldn't worry about it - I have a friend who converted to be a Catholic so her daughter could get into a French-immersion school (it's big up here). I would do the same.

I totally agree that putting a toddler in day care for part time is the best thing for the kid - unfortunately that's not an opinion shared by my wife for now he just goes to drop-in centres when I take him.

Mike

Re: Can I tolerate my son’s religious education?

Four Pillars — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 00:40:17 -0000

Excellent discussion.

If I could add one more thing - Steve and Bebelah: once the new baby comes along, little Buddy's future religious beliefs are not going to be a high priority. :)

Mike

Re: 15 reasons why you might not want to be a consultant

Four Pillars — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 22:54:21 -0000

Count me as one of those "long time employees who resent the consultant" types. :)

It's interesting to hear from the other side though.

Mike

Re: the charity customer

Four Pillars — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 13:38:11 -0000

I get annoyed with the door-to-door people looking for charity - the problem is that some of them (most?) are professionals getting paid to get donations.

Re: new feature - free magazines

Four Pillars — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 23:24:32 -0000

Thanks for the info. I'm signing up for this as well and was wondering how it worked.

Re: the newest problogger on the block

Four Pillars — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 13:29:35 -0000

Sounds good! I'm on a four month break myself at the moment and I have to admit that it's no picnic with two kids.

It's hard for me to get much done other than at nap time or in the evenings so it's not like I have oodles of free time.

Mike

Re: my latest tax deduction

Four Pillars — Thu, 01 May 2008 13:30:16 -0000

Congrats. Make sure you keep little buddy in daycare otherwise your life will be a living hell (I know!).

Mike

Re: linklings, no links edition

Four Pillars — Sat, 03 May 2008 14:13:48 -0000

Congrats again.

You had BIG babies!!

Re: linklings, gone couch gone edition

Four Pillars — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 23:49:04 -0000

There's nothing wrong with losing it over some incorrect furniture (as long as you don't go completely postal of course). I have quite a temper as well which I can keep under control, but it is the smallest thing that can set me off - ie someone cutting in front of me without signalling... :)

Mike