Archive for June, 2006
Finance 101
As a twenty-something college graduate starting my career, I am part of a unique demographic: young people who are earning a salary for the first time and suddenly find themselves in a new financial situation. Along with this newfound disposable income comes newfound financial questions. Unfortunately, many young people are ill-equipped to make these decisions that will have great impact on their future. The problem: a severe lack of information.
IRA. 401(k). Pension. Mutual Fund. ETF. Health Insurance.
These and others are part of the vocabulary that is thrown at new hires as they try to plan for their future. The problem is for many young people, it’s all greek. Another problem is, a few poor choices when you’re twenty-something can yield severe consequences when you’re sixty-something. Take, for example, the 401(k). Many employers offer a 401(k) plan to help with retirement; some even offer to match employee contributions. The difference in choosing to enroll in such a program when you’re 25 and when you’re 35 could be huge when it comes time to retire. But without a clear understanding of options, how can young professionals make wise choices?
The issue at hand is one of education. Speaking from experience, I was never taught about financial planning in school. (Fortunately for me, I knew a wise old man who imparted some of his wise old wisdom.) In high school, we covered the stock market for a week in civics class. We learned by playing the “stock market game”–pick a stock, track its price, and try to beat out the rest of the class. What a terrible way to present the information! This only reinforces the idea that the stock market is a tool for the rich and powerful–and a game for us plebeians.
I fear that the lack of financial planning education exacerbates the trend of wealth consolidation. The rich stay rich, in part thanks to the availability of this information in wealthy circles. We need a curriculum for every high school senior that introduces these topics and goes into sufficient detail so they can make wise decisions.
And please, stop playing the stock market game.
Filed under Uncategorized : Comments (0) : Jun 23rd, 2006
The Good Land
I’ve moved to Milwaukee. I’m living on the east side of Milwaukee (though technically, I guess I’m in the Riverwest district) in a two bedroom duplex. I moved in on Thursday and am still trying to figure out where to put all my junk. I don’t have much furniture–a trip to IKEA yesterday provided a table and some chairs–and the apartment feels empty. Fortunately, I still have a few weeks before I start my new job, so I’ll hopefully have a chance to make my new home look and feel a bit more like a home.
I don’t have an internet connection at home yet. This is very difficult for me. I was hoping to piggy-back on a neighbor’s wireless connection temporarily, but I’ve had no such luck. For the time being, I’m making daily trips down to the local coffee shop with my laptop. The worst part is that I can’t get started with Time Warner internet until June 27–over a week away!
Along with a lack of internet is a lack of television. This doesn’t bother me too much, as the only show I watch regularly is The Daily Show. I was talking to my dad last night and he asked if I had a radio set up. I have to admit, I didn’t even consider radio as a potential entertainment/information medium (different generation, I guess), but now I can listen to public radio in the house.
Moving is never fun, but this move has been relatively painless thus far. Not moving any furniture other than a bed really helped to decrease the hassle-factor. I had some help from a few friends and was able to move in two car-loads. Not too shabby. It’s going to take awhile to really adjust to Milwaukee, but my initial impression is good. I’m a few blocks away from a strip of shops, restaurants, bars, etc. and I’m in a nice neighborhood. Now if I just had internet access at home. . .
. . .
I know I’ve been behind on the blog lately, but I’ve been rather busy with moving and what-not. Bear with me.
Filed under Uncategorized : Comments (0) : Jun 18th, 2006
Triathlon
I just completed my first triathlon in Green Bay this morning. I was a bit nervous going in to the race–I’ve been an on-again, off-again runner for years and just recently started biking and swimming–but boy howdy was it a fun race!
I finished in a respectable 1:24:11 (the winning time was one hour). I’m pretty much hooked and will definitely be back to compete in future triathlons.
Filed under Uncategorized : Comments (0) : Jun 11th, 2006
Still Here
Yes, I’m still alive and will be updating this website soon. Things have been rather hectic lately: I just graduated from college, spent a week hiking in Isle Royale National Park, visited the parents and spent the weekend at a friend’s cabin.
Starting this week, my life should return to some degree of normalcy. Check back soon for a more substantial update. In the meantime, be sure to check out my Flickr photos (link below). There are some good ones from Isle Royale.
Filed under Uncategorized : Comments (0) : Jun 4th, 2006
