- Interesting Article: Car Buying is Risky Business. I recently overhead a car salesman convince a young man he did not need to make a down payment. this caught my attention and I listened curiously to what would unfold.
- Quote: Happiness is not in the mere possession of money; it lies in the joy of achievement, in the thrill of the creative effort. -Franklin D. Roosevelt. The pursuit of money should not be the focus. Think of money as a tool to help achieve goals and create your life.
- Economic Indicator: Employment. The August 2019 unemployment rate is 3.7%. The term full employment is a bit of a misnomer. The cyclical nature of business and the irrationality of human behavior make 0% unemployment unattainable. There will always be people leaving jobs, starting new jobs, losing seasonal jobs or otherwise looking for work. Economics and pundits argue that full employment is anywhere between 4% and 7% unemployment. Let’s keep it simple and define full employment as a very reasonable 5% unemployment rate. Read more about the unemployment rate from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
- Book I’m Reading: I’m currently reading Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill. This classic was first published in 1937 and is a mainstay in the libraries of personal finance enthusiasts. The book is a road map for learning what you want and harnessing that desire in order to succeed.
- Personal Finance Tool I’m Investigating: Personal Capital. Personal Capital is free personal finance aggregation tool which allows you to see a clear real-time view of your entire financial life.