Aug
3
Starting Up : Define Ramen Noodles : Ramen Profitable
August 3, 2009 | 1 Comment
Paul Graham coined the term Ramen Profitable, as in having enough profit to live on a Ramen Noodle diet/lifestyle. He gives many reasons why a startup may want to become Ramen Profitable as soon as possible, including: “The main significance of this type of profitability is that you’re no longer at the mercy of [...]
Jun
11
Child – First Account Oppened
June 11, 2009 | Comments Off
We just opened the Child’s first bank account. A regular savings account will do, under Uniform Transfers to Minors Act.
“In most states, minors do not have the right to contract, and so cannot own stocks, bonds, mutual funds, annuities and life insurance policies. In particular, parents cannot simply transfer assets to their minor children, [...]
Jun
10
Social Security Card Arrived
June 10, 2009 | Comments Off
Sorrow and Joy. Sorrow because the Federal government has decided to start normalizing our child – converting him into a traceable number. At the same time, it allows us to do things like open bank accounts for him and deduct him from taxes (if only we where not phased out). One thing [...]
Jun
10
New Child
June 10, 2009 | Comments Off
We got our first child in the last few weeks. A lot of excitement and joy. As this blog is about financial matters, we will probably discuss the financial decisions we take in this process.
Fortunately we haven’t really had any major expenses so far. A few diapers and a crib that we [...]
May
19
Bailout Investments? Where are My Returns?
May 19, 2009 | Comments Off
Some banks are returning the money they got from government. Promised returns may not show up. Should the government invest Taxpayer’s money?
We do invest already, in a variety of ways. First of all, let’s define the bounds of the idea of investing. Dictionary.com first definition is “the investing of money or [...]
Jan
6
XO Laptop Dream …. Just a Dream
January 6, 2009 | Comments Off
I had heard a lot about Negroponte’s XO Laptop project, but had not touched one until this last summer (picture attached). The machine sure is cool and shows a lot of ingenuity. The fact that it costs under $200 is amazing, and the hope that it can teach computing skills to a kid on a [...]
Nov
7
Don’t Do It! (Time Management)
November 7, 2008 | 1 Comment
Often I get asked how I get so many things done in the day/week/month/year. One way of answering that question is: By not doing things!
The Infinite List
First problem we all have: We have many more things on our list of things to do than we could possibly do ever. If we start keeping a simple [...]
Sep
4
I Am Starting to Dislike Tankless Water Heaters
September 4, 2008 | Comments Off
My in laws swear by them (they live in a country where electricity costs are severe compared to the US). I have thought about them, especially when I have to maintain three separate homes and the hot water heaters tend to break every 10 years or so. But after reading the last Consumer Reports article [...]
Jul
15
iPhone Economy
July 15, 2008 | Comments Off
It turns out that the iPhone is sold out in 21 states. To me, it could only mean one thing: consumers feel that their ability to pay for the extra communications expenses is still very good. Where is the gloom and doom everyone is telling about?
Unfortunately, the iPhone is not sold out on Massachusetts yet. [...]
Jul
10
Miles and Award Travel Keeps Depreciating
July 10, 2008 | Comments Off
A promise is a promise until someone decides to break it. That is exactly what could happens and could keep happening with travel loyalty programs (miles and points).
For business travellers like me, hoarding miles may not be such a great choice. Last week Delta decided to charge ‘fuel surcharge’ on award travel. [...]
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