29 Mar
PF Spotlight: Lazy Man and Money
Posted in PF Spotlight by Roger, the Amateur Financier 2 CommentsAnother week is upon us, and with it comes another PF Spotlight. This week’s feature goes to Lazy Man and Money. Let’s be honest, it’s a cool blog name, and he usually has good commentary; what more do you want from a PF blog? That said, he’s one of the moderators of the Money Blog Network and works a ‘regular’ job on top of his blogging, so he’s hardly lazy; false advertising, anyone?
Ah, I kid, I kid. He’s really a great blogger. Some of the most interesting posts he’s put up recently:
Money’s Seven New Rules of Financial Success (Part 1) and (Part 2) – Lazy Man covers an article in the most recent article of Money regarding the ‘new’ rules of money (which you can read here). Lazy Man’s conclusions pretty much line up with mine; the new rules aren’t so new, at least if you’ve been reading up on personal finance. Still, it’s good to get reminders about these rules every now and again, especially now, when there’s so much talk of ‘everything changing’.
Dog Costs for the First Month – A post covering some of the costs that arise when adopting a puppy. A good list to consider before purchasing a dog. Not having had a dog since I was quite young (and not paying for that dog myself, obviously), I wasn’t aware how expensive a dog, even a rescue dog, could be. An eye-opening post for us non-pet owners.
Leaving Full-Time Blogging - Lazy Man is probably unique in having left his previous job for full-time blogging, and then having gone back to work. (Crazy, I know, but to each their own.) He notes that he’s spending more money, and also becoming more efficient, as he tries to keep up with his blog, his job, and his new dog.
Giving a Lasting Gift to a Baby…(But Not the Parents) – An interesting post; Lazy Man discusses how to give a financial gift to a child that the parents will not be able to access (in this case, because they aren’t good with money). One good idea that came up was to open a 529 in the child’s name and donate to it every year. This works pretty well for a relative, but not so well for the child of a friend; the original questioner wanted a one-time gift that would still be available to the child regardless of how his friendship with the parents proceeded.
Lazy Man’s favorite suggestion is to give the parents a book on managing money, with an IOU promising to contribute a match to a 529 plan when they open one up. Not a bad idea, but you have to be aware of how the parents will react to that kind of gift; if they’d be insulted by a gift encouraging them to be more financially responsible, it could do more harm than good. If that’s the case, you might need to find an alternative gift idea.
Related Websites
Lazy Man and Money
on March 30 2009
Thanks for writing about me. Here are some thoughts behind the scenes…
I normally don’t work a regular job, but I was offered a great position with great pay in an economy which isn’t doing diddly-poo to quote Jim Mora Sr. It would seem wrong to let the opportunity go by.
I haven’t been very proud of my recent posts. It may not seem like it, but it’s very much a stream of consciousness… little editing and thought into what I was going to write. I like to think I’ve done better in the past.
Sadly, I missed a lot of costs on the dog ownership front. We needed buy new trash cans with lids for one. For another there’s flea and tick (Frontline) and Inceptor (some kind of heartworm thing) that’s a monthly cost of around $20-$25. Small things keep popping up.
As for the Giving a Lasting Gift, I think offering a book on personal finance (or any self-help topic) can be very insulting. It has to be done in the right way and by someone who is very close. It’s possible you could present it in a “I just read this fantastic book… wish I had read it years ago… and I thought I’d share it with you” way (just be sure not to give a completely new book.)
Roger
on March 31 2009
Thank you for coming by and checking out my humble little blog. I can understand why you went back to work; I doubt too many people would fault you for taking the great position with great pay.
As for your recent posts, they seem alright to me. Granted, I haven’t been following you for years and thus have a fairly limited frame of reference, but they seem coherent and logical, which is more than I can say for some bloggers.
I suppose dogs are a lot like kids in the way that unexpected expenses tend to pop up. Being prepared for and having a nice amount of reserve capital set aside for pet emergencies is a good policy.
As for giving a self-help book, you’re right, it can be done in a tactful, tasteful manner. If you do it right, the recipients might be appreciative. And your comment about not giving a completely new book is a good one, as well; something with a cracked spine and some well worn pages will sell the image of a book you love and want to pass on.