Easy Change

Currently I live in a suburban town in southeastern Massachusetts with a condo association with a ridiculously low condo fee. There. I said it. I am sure that like any organization, there are people in my association who are happy and some who are unhappy. A year ago, I was elected to the board of trustees of my condo association. That was certainly the case then; people were unhappy at the way the property looked and how much service they were getting for the money spent. However, now it is very clear to me that the amount of money that is being spent is not enough to cover the basics on the property. What is the result? People end up spending large amounts of their time and frankly, wasting large sums of money on the property. Condo fees in townhouse style condos typically go toward building maintenance, plowing, and landscaping. In our complex there is no pool, no clubhouse, no exercise room or other shared space. The net result is that the fees can remain relatively low. Howev...

One of the most important skills, indeed, the most important skill when it comes to personal finance is the simple rule: Spend less than you make. This is a simple rule that works for handling all personal financial situations. If applied correctly and the wisdom that it imparts is correctly understood, it can determine the course of your financial future. Personally, I am continuing to work on ways that I can spend less than I make. For this to happen, I need to accurately understand all of my expenses and all of my sources of income and determine how I can track it and ensure that I take steps until my income is larger than my expenses. I have reached this point many years ago and the progress has been positive since then and I consider myself lucky. Now, I am proceeding down the path and I realize that there are two aspects to this constant quest--a shorter term aspect which consists of very specific steps that can be taken in the very near term. Then there is also a longer ter...