Frugaling

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The 5-Minute Guide To Thomas Piketty’s Capital In The Twenty-First Century

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Capital in the twenty-first century Thomas Piketty
The cover of Thomas Piketty’s Capital in the Twenty-First Century

Everyone is talking about Capital in the Twenty-First Century, but few people have read it. In fact, I was watching Real Time with Bill Maher the other day, and the entire panel was debating the virtues of the book — then they admitted no one had read it.

Meanwhile, The Guardian wrote, “This is a huge book, more than 700 pages long, dense with footnotes, graphs and mathematical formulae. At first sight it is unashamedly an academic tome and seems both daunting and incomprehensible [emphasis added].” Well, I just spent an inordinate amount of time reading his masterpiece, and have quickly placed every lesson in the following article. I’ve tried to link to further explanations, should you care to spend the time.

Here’s everything you need to know about Capital in the Twenty-First Century in 5 minutes or less. 

  1. Income equality is increasing.
  2. We are approaching another Gilded Age.
  3. Net worth is not trickling down.
  4. A global wealth tax is proposed.
  5. Marginal tax rates used to be much higher.
  6. Income inequality undermines meritocratic values.
  7. Marx couldn’t properly account for technological progress.
  8. Industrialization and economic shift is inherently advantageous to a select few.
  9. War and taxation created a by-product of economic equality in the 40s/50s.
  10. Theoretical and mathematical interpretations fail to account for individual actors and historical data.
  11. Inequality is not necessarily bad, but the reasons for it could be.
  12. Top managers can control their own paychecks.
  13. Profit is necessary to attract capital; at least, as the economy currently stands.
  14. Per capita income averages hide disparities (median versus mode).
  15. There are errors and gaps in tax revenue due to tax havens.
  16. Foreign direct investment hasn’t led to a convergence in economies.
  17. Economic growth is unsustainable, as compounded growth will kill the planet (think climate change and food shortages for a growing population).
  18. Social mobility is at the heart of moderating income inequality.
  19. Inherited wealth is monopolizing income distribution.
  20. Those with capital and assets can increase wealth faster than beginning entrepreneurs.

Now go out there, act like you read it, and sound smart!

Accidentally Frugal

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Accidentally Frugal - Let It All GoWhen I think of my apartment, a number of things come to mind: gulag, cinderblock castle, bat cave, and my favorite, rectangular ode to communistic utilitarianism. Yes, my home is something special. One of the perks is insulation that never seems sufficient for either hot or cold extremes. In the winter, the bare linoleum floors chill bones — forcing occupants to wear sandals or shoes indoors. The summer brings a respite from the cold, and makes my apartment heat up like a sweat lodge — only, without the nice cedar wood smell.

The summer months bring some wacky weather through the Midwest. This being my third summer in the land of flat, I know that I’m in for hot, sticky days that border on 100 degrees — even overnight. Torrential rainfalls will produce floods and muddied areas, while you get baked throughout the other days. Pretty good if you’re a 4-year-old making mud pies; beyond that, not really quite sure who enjoys it.

I’ve lived in a few areas of the country that don’t really need air conditioning. People may have them attached to the home or in a window, but for the most part, these white boxes stand as decoration to a humble abode. But here in Iowa, air conditioning is a must have.

In August, I’m moving into an apartment complex that is supposed to have built-in, central air conditioning. To prepare for this, I decided to list my air conditioner on Craigslist two days ago. I hastily placed it online — without a picture or many details. It can take a little while to sell things in my city. There aren’t many people here; especially, over the summer.

I fully expected it to take a month to actually sell the unit. I was dead wrong.

Well, Frugaling fans, I’m in for one hellish summer. I just got back from selling my window air conditioning unit in one day. The family I sold it to were incredibly appreciative and kind — even paid me to drive to their place. The man who lifted the AC out from my trunk said, “Boy are we happy to have this right now. It’s only going to get worse and worse this summer.” All I could do was politely smile and nod. Inside, my stomach churned with the anticipatory anxiety of an entire season without it.

Naively, I didn’t think I’d spend an entire summer without air conditioning, but in a way this is all accidentally frugal. Letting go of the air conditioner this early in the summer season feels like trouble, but there are some tremendous benefits.

  • Reduced utility bill. The summer months can wreak havoc with my careful budget. Oftentimes, the budget is precariously balanced and if there are extended periods of heat, I can see my bill skyrocket. Most of those costs are associated with increased air conditioning use. Without this appliance, I’ll be struggling, but saving every minute that it’s not running.
  • A family in need is helped. AC units can be expensive and a family (with a pregnant mother) will enjoy the benefits of a cooler house. I’m really happy they were able to use this and save a pretty penny from buying new.
  • My wallet is padded. I didn’t just do it for purely altruistic reasons, though. I’ll be able to pay off another chunk of debt with this extra cash. Even more than paying off another portion of student loans is the psychological benefit of knowing I’m moving in the right direction — saving and earning. This has been my major goal since starting Frugaling.
  • Saving the environment. Air conditioners are a drain on energy resources, tax aging infrastructures, and push coal-fired power plants to go into overdrive. Removing the AC will reduce the amount of greenhouse gases I contribute. One of the most frugal things I can recommend is opening windows at night, and then closing them immediately in the morning. Also, put down your blinds. This small step will effectively insulate you from changing temperatures outside. Your apartment will be a nice ice box in comparison to the outside temperature.

How Much Can Bloggers Make?

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How Much Can Bloggers Make? Do you want to be a blogger too and earn money? Find out on this post how much can bloggers can make! #Blog #blogging #makemoney

To publish or not to publish, that is the question

I debated whether I should publish this article for two months. I talked to friends, family, acquaintances — all have given me different responses. I tweeted to fellow personal finance bloggers, too. Everyone had a different answer.

Frankly, I’m nervous to share this article. Unlike my weaker points and budgetary failures, this article is a highlight. It was easier for me to write and confess my student loan debt to you all, but successes are more difficult to share — ironically.

After much consternation, I decided I’d finally publish an answer to a big question I’ve been getting: “How much can bloggers make?” Or, more specifically sometimes: “How much did you make, Sam?”

Even as I type these words, I’m debating whether I’ll push the publish button. It’s really challenging to share this number. I’m proud and embarrassed in a weird way.

Well, here goes nothing! Today, I’m going to share with you how much I made over the first year of Frugaling, and what led to that success. My goal is to both inspire those who are thinking about starting a blog, but also to provide info about where the greatest revenue can be made. I know of quite a few people right now who want to get paid to write or need some push to start blogging.

This one’s for you.

A trickle became a torrent of funds

I started with Google AdSense

I began Frugaling on May 4, 2013. Motivated out of a desperate need to share my story with others and begin my journey back to zero debt, I wrote my first article. These first few months I only had Google AdSense. I stared at $15-20 a month and thought this was pointless, but that quickly doubled, and doubled again.

For those who’ve never heard of the platform, it’s an easy and very popular way to start making revenue. Google handles the advertisers — all you do is publish them. Easy as can be. Nobody becomes rich from AdSense, though (hardly anyone at least). It’s an entirely automated and algorithmic ad network that pairs relevant advertisements with consumers. While creepy sometimes, the ad network is the best in the industry — for everyone involved in the money making process.

I looked up affiliate opportunities

As a member of the personal finance blogging community, I was fortunate to be exposed to various money-making experts. Many had done well adding affiliate programs to their sites. Affiliate programs usually host a bunch of companies that are looking to give publishers a small commission for products sold. Let’s say you run an apparel website and link to Macy’s, you can count on a certain amount of revenue kicked back to you in the referral process. Or, if you blog, it can help to advertise your web host.

I decided to throw my hat in the ring and joined a top-notch network called LinkOffers. Two months after being approved to hawk some bank-affiliated products, I looked at my account and noticed a strange number: $500 in sales. It was early in the summer and the number shocked me. I was making ridiculous amounts of money! Over the ensuing months, I received an atmospheric amount of affiliate commissions (I’ll address monetary specifics in the proceeding section).

I partnered and linked to Amazon.com

I timed articles to important holidays, your recommended books, and/or tax season. Most bloggers seem to struggle to make much money with Amazon’s affiliate program. I found it to be incredible.

You can link to nearly everything in the Amazon store and make a commission on that item and anything else that’s purchased during that visit. This primary and secondary commission style is very generous. For instance, if someone buys the product you advertised and a new Macbook Air, get ready for a kickback of $40 or more. These purchases added up quickly. One article netted me over $200 in two months.

Flappy Bird-style wealth creation is definitely scary

Flappy Bird Money Wealth Success
Flappy Bird was a hugely popular, viral success. The creator was making $50,000 per day when he pulled it from the Apple App Store.

The Apple Store was slammed earlier this year with millions of downloads of one app with a ridiculously simple premise and name: Flappy Bird. The creator was a mysterious and private individual based in Vietnam. Not much was known about him until Rolling Stone magazine tracked him down and got one of the best interviews yet. Rolling Stone reported that:

By February, it was topping the charts in more than 100 countries and had been downloaded more than 50 million times. Nguyen was earning an estimated $50,000 a day. Not even Mark Zuckerberg became rich so fast.

This level of attention and wealth prompted Nguyen to take down the app and buck the demand for his work. Within a couple days of his decision to remove the app, it vanished. Many criticized his decision and questioned why anyone making $50k a day would optionally take down their application. Frankly, I could relate on a tenth of the scale.

In December, January, and February I saw earnings that blew my mind. Every day I checked my earnings, I was looking at another couple hundred dollars. I was closing in or crossing $5,000 per month. I was scared about whether the affiliate company would actually pay me. Every month — before I got paid — I’d get nervous. I’d think, “Are my earnings going to be revoked? Am I actually going to get paid that much?” Month after month would pass, and the earnings would clear — right into my bank account. It was like magic.

Average these earnings over 12 months, and I’d be making over $60,000 per year. Meanwhile, I’m a full-time graduate student working 65+ hours a week. With all my earnings combined (regular work, too), I was nearing a six-figure salary. My debt was disappearing and life was looking up in a crazy way.

The earnings eventually slowed. The bulk of the money was earned. I paid off a $25,000 student loan and stopped taking out loans for school entirely. Suddenly, I was paying in cash for the deficits in my graduate assistantship budget.

Marketing and advertising affects everyone

You’ve now read nearly the entirety of this article, but I still haven’t shared how much a blogger can make. Or, more specifically, how much I made in my first year. Before I say that value, I want to mention one thing: advertising tends to taint perspectives.

As a personal finance writer, there’s a wealth of advertising opportunities. It’s a direct consequence of the powerful financial services sector. Trillions of dollars are managed within financial companies, and consumer credit products are just one of the many revenue sources they have. It can be easy to be swept up with the possibilities and ignore the initial purpose for starting a blog.

I got swept up by it. I was deeply affected by it. It changed how I speak. It swayed my opinions.

After you see this value, I hope you take great care with your site and visitors. Please don’t let this inspire you to morph into a credit-card-hawking-affiliate-driven-market-maven. The personal finance world needs personality and reality. Credit products aren’t right for everyone.

Still want to know how much I made?

I made about $35,000 in my first year of blogging.

Related post: Make An Extra $10,000 In 6 Months!

Should You Ditch Your Car Loan? 10 Questions To Ask Yourself

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Should You Ditch Your Car Loan? 10 Questions To Ask Yourself

Find a car, take out a loan, hand me the keys

In the summer of 2011, I bought a used Honda Civic. It was my first car buying experience. I had emailed a private owner through Craigslist, and found a time to meet and test drive the vehicle. After inspection and various checks at a local dealership, it was blessed by the car gods mechanics. Then and there, I decided to purchase the car for $11,000.

Naturally, as any indebted American knows, I didn’t have the funds to purchase a car. I was fresh out of college, with about $3,000 in savings. The only thing that made me creditworthy was my successful use of credit cards in college and a predicted income that could support the purchase of a vehicle.

The owner and I went to a local bank to see a notary and have a teller confirm the funds contained on my bank loan check. I wrote in the total purchase price and handed it over. In exchange, I was given a couple sets of keys.

The car was mine — all mine.

Honda Civic Coupe Car LoanLet the car loan payments begin

At nearly $200 per month, my five-year car loan is difficult on my budget. Unfortunately, when I first purchased the vehicle, I didn’t really have a budget. My budget was based on my ability to receive $15-20,000 in student loans every year — despite my tuition being paid for by a graduate assistantship.

Every month I was bleeding red, as the car loan payments would take any surpluses. But even more, I still didn’t have a budget to stick to and stay accountable for. Instead of selling or never buying the car, I convinced myself that I needed this automobile — at this price and quality.

My choice to buy a 2006 Honda Civic bordered on the egoistic. The voice inside my head said, “You deserve this nice car, Sam.” But the burden of spending $200 per month on top of student loans that were costing me 6.8% APR was a rough combination. It contributed greatly to a precipitous fall in net worth.

I could never properly calculate the true cost of the car, my student loans, and where my total debt would be in the following days, months, and years. Having a car — or, more specifically, a car loan — complicated everything.

Consider other options later, buy now

The entire buying process is like a wild carnival — walk in and you’ll see rides, games, laughter, prizes, and more. Browsing for cars at dealerships makes you feel special. People suddenly approach you, wondering what you’d like to buy, drive, lease, etc.

Car buying — whether with a private owner or dealer — is an American rite of passage. We own about 250 million vehicles between a population of 319 million people. Everything about this process seems tailored to these expectations about ownership and independence — powerful cultural values.

This swirl of attention, cultural identity, and peer support affected me when I plopped the original $11,000 to purchase my Honda Civic. I only considered other options (i.e., cheaper vehicles or not buying a car at all) about a year into my car loan. It was then that I realized all the powerful financial consequences of my decision.

Think: Debt, burden, liability, and depreciation

I hate to be another consumer, loving an inanimate object, but I have a real affinity for my car. My Honda Civic has taken me all over the midwest. When I moved to Iowa, I packed everything I could into my car and gave away what was left. It’s been my trusty sidekick for a while now, but it’s time for us to depart.

I finally listed it on Craigslist.

With nearly $200 a month in car loan payments, inevitable depreciation, insurance costs, and other debts that are demanding my attention, it’s time to finally sell my car. Not only is it the frugal thing to do, but the car has become a real luxury for me — there are other ways (i.e., the free bus) to get around in Iowa City.

Hopefully I can sell the car reasonably soon. I’d love to be able to reduce my monthly bills and start saving even more. I came up with a little list of questions to ask before ever buying another car again. Maybe these will help you resist the urge to splurge or even sell your car!

Questions for the car buyer/owner/seller:

  1. How much will this vehicle cost you over 10 years?
  2. Do you currently have an emergency fund set up to handle accidents and/or insurance premiums?
  3. How often will you drive your vehicle and for what purpose?
  4. What size vehicle do you need?
  5. How do you currently manage without a car (if you do not own one yet)?
  6. What’s motivating you to purchase this specific car?
  7. How do you feel about the impact your greenhouse gas emissions will have on the environment?
  8. What would the car provide that a regular bike could not offer?
  9. How would your budget deal with a spike in gas prices or if insurance premiums rise?
  10. Will this impact how many hours you need to work or extend your period before retirement?

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