
When to Spend
IF YOU HAVE READ enough HumbleDollar articles, you’ve probably noticed that frugality has played a major role in the financial success of many of the site’s writers. Peruse the article comments and the site’s “Voices” section, and you’ll find that readers often share...

Going Our Own Way
HOW WE THINK ABOUT money affects almost every aspect of our lives. All the landmark decisions we make have a thread of money influence running through them. I’m talking about college, career, marriage, kids, the people and places we associate with—even how we spend...

The Tenor of Ideas
I’ve discovered that life is better when I practice the discipline of a teachable spirit. It’s not always easy to do—because pride gets in the way—but one thing is certain: I need others. And when I do open my eyes and ears to receive, I find there’s no shortage of...

Wiser in 21 Ways
WHEN I MET ARON for dinner, the occasion marked a milestone for both of us. Aron had earned his bachelor’s degree in audio production in 2020—during the thick of the pandemic—and finding his place in the industry had been more difficult than he’d hoped. Now that...

Read That Statement
HAVE YOU HEARD that you shouldn’t check your 401(k) at times like this? Market volatility can wreak havoc not only with our account balances, but also with our decision-making. Ignoring our 401(k) statements might help us stick with our long-term investment plan....

A Home Run
MY WIFE SARAH AND I recently dusted off our old Scrabble board. We reviewed the rules and were reminded of the Scrabble Bingo—the 50-point bonus awarded to a player who figures out how to play every letter tile from the tray on a single turn. Neither of us could...

Making It
FLETCHER WHITE, my great-grandfather, was one of the young American doughboys drafted to fight in World War I. He also helped set the financial direction for our family for generations to come. Fletcher may have lacked military acumen, but he compensated with...

No Help
OUR LAST SUMMER road trip didn’t exactly go as planned. That ordeal changed my mind about an annual expense I’d been paying without much thought. I gained a new perspective—even if I did learn my lesson the hard way. On a Saturday morning last summer, Sarah and I...