Disqus - Latest Comments for royce7

Re: Spending Too Much, Too Soon In Your 20’s

Royce — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 18:34:02 -0000

Good point about doing things now before we have families... and families of course also change the "savings vs. spending" outlook significantly.

Interesting anecdote back on your point about "How much is your dolla worth?"... in the Warren Buffett biography "Snowball", there is a discussion about how Buffett, even at a young age, viewed the compounding effect of interest as an inherent characteristic of money. So in other words, the question isn't "should I spend this $10 or should I save it for a 10% return on interest?", but rather "is what I'm spending this $10 on really worth $26, which is what my $10 will be worth in 10 years if I save it with interest?"

Viewing your savings through the prism of what it will actually be worth in the future changes the values of the equation. Which hopefully encourages more savings.

Re: Spending Too Much, Too Soon In Your 20’s

Royce — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 12:09:28 -0000

High five to Doniree, Mint.com is awesome. BIG TIP TO EVERYONE - even if you don't use Mint.com, track your spending manually on Excel. It helps a LOT to know exactly what you're spending, on what categories. I spent $100 (10% of my total month's spending) on alcohol one month! Wtf was I doing?!

This is a great post Grace, I believe strongly in saving a bunch and living below my means - with one big exception.

My gf and I take at least one big trip a year out of the country, and I would never cancel these (typically $2k per trip, including flight) to save further. We stay in relatively cheap hotels/hostels and stuff, but the experience of doing that stuff now when we have tons of energy and health is totally worth the money it costs.

Other than that, save. Some tips:
- keep a separate savings account from your bank account, so you can sweep money there and not have it "burning a hole in your pocket"
- shop for savings rates when you get this account; they all suck right now but ING Direct (www.ingdirect.com) was the best a few years ago, and its online mgmt tools are good
- use your 401k, especially if your company matches your contributions
- even better, use a Roth 401k or Roth IRA to save long-term; they won't be taxed when you eventually take the money out, which will save boatloads
- consider investing passively in the market if you can save a solid amount of dough - ING has a site called ShareBuilder (www.sharebuilder.com) that lets you automatically invest even a small amount monthly in index funds, which will keep your savings returning (or losing) at whatever level the market performs
- and one last time, track your spending! It helps!

Re: Friday Linky Love

Royce — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 16:58:47 -0000

Sweet interview C-Mac. I thought your comments about giving up too early on your first business were especially interesting and very honest.

Re: Some Thoughts On Aging

Royce — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 15:41:27 -0000

Happy birthday! Congrats on coming to terms with aging... many happy returns

Re: I’d love your input: Which picture for the back cover of the book?

Royce — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 19:49:22 -0000

I vote for option #1 cause you seem a little more casual but still in control. Then again DShan just voted the opposite of me and I think he counts for like 48 normal opinions.

PS - a GREAT choice to take these at Royce Hall! Heck yeah go Bruins!

Re: 2004-2006 Vintage Barbaresco Tasting

Royce — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 17:18:08 -0000

QOTD: Dumbledore

Gary, absolutely love the last two shows. Really take me back to some of the halcyon days of the Thunder Show... absolutely bringing the knowledge directly to my brain and showing me wines I wouldn't have heard of before, but now have me intrigued... awesome work, keep it going

Re: 2004-2006 Vintage Barbaresco Tasting

Royce — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 17:16:39 -0000

That is an awesome QOTD answer

Re: Announcing the Winner – Operational Beautiful Giveaway

Royce — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 15:55:38 -0000

Those are great, nice work everyone. And thanks for hosting Grace.

I particularly loved Rebecca Hansen's from her blog Drunk Literature - "You are a beautiful woman, own it." Seems like it was impactful for her.

That's also what I tell FIWK co-author Scott every day. (Yes, I am reusing that joke.)

Re: Port Brewing Hot Rocks Lager

Royce — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 15:36:36 -0000

I am ashamed to say that not only am I from San Diego, but this brewery/restaurant's first location is about 15 mins from my house and I have still never tried this beer. Your review makes it sound phenomenal and I cannot wait to try it now. I think their Midnight Sessions black lager is one of my favorites from Port Brewing, it has some of those same darker flavors but the beer is still super drinkable, which I love.

In fact, I'd have to say my overwhelming favorite characteristic in beer is smoothness. Typically this manifests more in malty beers and less in hoppy beers, which tend to be more bitter. Caramel and toffee flavors also complement smooth beers quite well. Great examples of this smoothness also balanced with great flavor and balance are the Alaskan Amber, Kona Brewing's Pipeline Porter, and Deschutes' Black Butte Porter.

I will give the Hot Rocks a try and see if it also makes it on that list =)

Re: BreastFest: Good beers, good times, good cause!

Royce — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 15:32:49 -0000

Wow looks really fun. What other standout beers did you try other than the Cerveza Crema (which I agree is surprisingly good)? What did you think of the Black Xantus? Haven't tried that yet.

By the way i really like the blog, keep the reviews coming!

Re: Accountability: Showing Up To Blog

Royce — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 13:26:10 -0000

Grace, fantastic post! I couldn't agree more about accountability... and I like what you say about not doing it for others necessarily, but it's to some degree accountability with yourself.

Do you know Penny Arcade? ( http://www.penny-arcade.com/ ) I would venture that they are the most successful webcomic going. One of the co-authors wrote about his advice to those starting out, and his #1 piece of advice was to always be accountable to the schedule you set. PA has a Mon-Wed-Fri schedule for new comics and accompanying news posts, and he said they made a point from the very beginning to never, ever miss a scheduled day or be late.

I would agree that that is the most fundamental characteristic any blogger or writer or web creative person can have for success in the long haul - accountability with themselves for hitting their schedule (whatever they define that schedule as).

Re: No Fun – Worst Job In The World.

Royce — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 13:04:45 -0000

By the way - I'm not sure where to post this comment, but if the book "Better" by Atul Gawande is not one of the 100 best business books, I don't know what society has to offer anymore. Even though it is set in the field of medicine and hospitals, that book has more to say about successful endeavors - be they in business, medicine, whatever - than most strictly business books will. I highly recommend it and I'm shocked it's not in the top 100.

Re: No Fun – Worst Job In The World.

Royce — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 13:03:04 -0000

I like this post, thanks Noah. I found you via Caitlin McCabe's blog (we call her C-Mac).

The one place where I'm not 100% with you is where you jump from the extrinsic rewards as the reason for this friend (or anyone) keeping their job. I don't have credit card debt and I don't have a big "stuff" habit, but I still have bills to pay. My cushion will last me for X number of months of rent and food, and then my options would be move back home or find a job to cover expenses while looking for a job that I love that is fun.

Now moving home isn't necessarily a defeat, but it's not exactly moving forward either. And anecdotally speaking I don't know if I've seen a clear delineation between "well-paying jobs that are not fun" and "low-paying jobs that are fun". At least not amongst acquaintances. Those two qualities, compensation and fun, seem to operate independent of one another for each job and each industry.

The tough part still seems to be finding that position that matches your skills and your passions to the company that can best utilize them. And to find that, I think we agree that you just have to be assertive about putting yourself out there and constantly looking.

Re: Connecting With A Stranger

Royce — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 16:43:06 -0000

Well, stranger (yes you), I have occasionally connected with people I don't know, yes. That's actually been one of the nice benefits of blogging. I've connected with a lot of people I knew nothing about before. And most of the time we've found some commonalities which have made our connections really interesting.

Plus, you have helped us find some really cool music ;)

Re: Questions and Feedback From You, Dear Readers

Royce — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 13:19:12 -0000

Ahh Grace... I feel like I already give you feedback all the time anyway. And don't think I'm tempted by goodies! Well okay I kinda am.

I've mentioned it before, but I love when you strike a balance between other people's thoughts and Grace thoughts. Ultimately I come here for Grace thoughts but it's cool seeing other opinions sprinkled in also.

I would like to challenge you to step outside your comfort zone of "the typical Grace post" because I think your thoughts are interesting in general and you could do a lot of different types of posts. For instance you have a very specific type of post that you hit out of the park, typically lifestyle and empowerment type posts. If you were to give us some commentary on, say, your take on another major social media personality, or the tack a particular company is taking, what would that be like? I'd be interested to hear that.

Anyway keep it up... and as always your music choices rock haha

Re: Traveling (Even When You Have a Full-Time Job)

Royce — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 17:13:28 -0000

Probably Greece in the early fall. What about you?

Re: Traveling (Even When You Have a Full-Time Job)

Royce — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 12:40:51 -0000

Grace, there's a lot going on in this post. A lot to like... for instance, I spent half my time just staring at a map of Cali (okay, and the world) and picking out cool places to visit. Finding the time and means to visit can be tough though.

I also like your Go Local point and agree with it. My buddies actually started New Bar Tuesdays when they lived in San Francisco, which sounds kind of narrow in focus but actually was a great way to get around to new parts of the city with your friends. Helps to do that in a city with good public transport of course.

Strange things happen when you Get on a Plane. For some reason I have become slightly less keen on plane travel as I get older... I find myself more physically and mentally drained after long round-the-world flights. Partially for that reason I try to limit myself to one really huge trip (to Europe or beyond) a year, or at least no more than once per 6 months. Also flying internationally is expensive!

Re: Friday Linky Love

Royce — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 12:45:21 -0000

Haha re: the Playlist post... you mean you like describing situations like "listen to Loro by Pinback while driving alone on a dark, empty highway at night"? Lol ya you're good at that

Re: Impatience Is a Catalyst

Royce — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 16:11:32 -0000

See this is fantastic - this is essentially the same advice as you get from literally hundreds of extremely successful people. Don't wait: the time to act is now.

I read literally this exact advice in both the Warren Buffet biography "The Snowball" and from the hundred successful people interviewed for "The Richest Man In Town" by W. Randall Jones. They all say what you say - impatience (channeled positively) is the key to success and making things happen. Always try to achieve a little more today than you did the day before. Don't wait to address a problem, act immediately. And on and on.

Strangely, although the word "impatient" is being used here, I find that I'm oddly at peace when I feel this way. It's almost a feeling of "I'm not gonna wait, I'm gonna do it, and it'll work out" which leads not to anxiety but to confidence. You seem to feel the same, yes?

Re: Generation BlahBlah

Royce — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 19:05:29 -0000

Oh sure, like the song isn't playing on repeat on your iPod right now ;)

http://www.youtube.com/watc...

Re: I’m a Wanderlusting Seeker, Not a Nester

Royce — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 18:44:00 -0000

I feel like this is very similar to a blog you write not too long ago, don't have time to find it right now. Enjoyed your take this time as last.

I feel like 11.5 moves is a little low? Like for instance, in college I switched apartments probably four times. Does that count as four moves? Or is going to college one move, and leaving college one move? And what happens in college is all considered a single "move"? Logistical details.

Anyway I'm less of a wanderlust type in terms of like, living, although it's fun to think about. I tend to channel those impulses into random traveling, which I do at least once yearly.

One of my absolute favorite things is to look at a giant map of the world, and pick random little pockets of geography and wonder about them. Often I'll look them up, learn about them, and consider what it would be like to visit them. Pro tip: the South Pacific islands seem like an awesome choice.

You ever do that with a map?

Re: Generation BlahBlah

Royce — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 18:24:58 -0000

Did um... did you just name this post after a Ke$ha song? I mean, not that there's anything wrong with that. I wish I had a $ in my name.

I generally agree with your post. Meta commentary about a generation or a movement is nice, but it seems like the ratio of commentary topics is overweight about Gen Y and what it all means. Less navel gazing more interesting thoughts about everything else, I say.

Re: 10 Pieces of Advice That I Should Have Given myself in My Twenties (Guest Post!)

Royce — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 17:24:17 -0000

Did I somehow fail to post on this? I guess so

Anyway I thought this was fantastic, so big ups to Bailey Quinn... as she is known...

I look forward to more advice!

Re: Friday Linky Love

Royce — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 16:40:32 -0000

Love the FLL

This is a particularly strong group - Corn On the Job, Simon and Cole, and Lost in Cheeseland all had extremely good articles, in my opinion. Nice finds!

Re: Bearing Your Personal Signature

Royce — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 19:41:00 -0000

Okay definitely gotcha now. I guess my point was more in answer to the person who is creating drama out of nothing, versus someone who do has some legitimate problems but is complaining without actually doing anything, as you say.

So I agree, the best approach seems to be to own your problems. To that end, I'd almost take it a step further and say venting about it is good, but you could show even more ownership of your problems by coming to your friend (which is you, because let's be honest you're everyone's friend) and saying "Grace, I have this problem, what do you think about my plan to fix it?" or even "Here is my problem, can you help me come up with a plan of action?" rather than straight complaining. Now THAT makes sense haha