The $13,000 Apartments the Government Won't Let You Buy

The $13,000 Apartments the Government Won't Let You Buy

Notes From the Field By James Hickman (Simon Black/Sovereign Man)  April 14, 2026

On May 20, 1862, Abraham Lincoln signed the Homestead Act into law, and it essentially said: here's 160 acres of land. It's yours. For free. All you have to do is live on it and improve it.  And between 1862 and 1934, the federal government distributed 270 million acres under the program — roughly 10% of all the land in the United States.

Even as far back as the American Revolution, the Founding Fathers understood that property ownership made people more engaged, more productive citizens. Ownership meant that you had a vested financial interest in your community... and your country.

Over time, that idea fused with the concept of "the American Dream". And for decades that dream was a reality for millions of people.

After World War II, for example, America underwent a massive construction boom. Between  postwar prosperity, the GI Bill, and the arrival of the modern 30-year fixed mortgage,  home ownership surged from about 44% in 1940 to 62% by 1960.

More importantly, housing was affordable.

In 1950, median family income was about $3,000, yet the median home cost roughly $7,350. That’s just ~2.5 times median household income. Plus, with prevailing mortgage rates back then 4.5%, the monthly payments were trivial.

Because of that, families across America could easily make ends meet on a single income.

Today the median home sells for about $412,000. Median household income is roughly $83,700. That puts housing at 5x household income— double what it was in the 1950s.

More importantly, at today's mortgage rate of roughly 6.4%, the monthly payment on a median home (assuming a 20% down payment) consumes roughly 30% of household income.

The down payment is also so high these days that buying a home is nearly impossible, especially for young people or low-income workers. Even in dual-income households, homeownership is increasingly out of reach.

As we discussed on Friday, America’s housing problems go far beyond the ‘greedy’ Wall Street investors that are getting most of the blame for rising home prices.

Construction materials cost 40% more than they did five years ago, courtesy of the Federal Reserve printing trillions during the pandemic and igniting inflation.

Plus the regulatory permitting maze adds enormous costs. In Fremont, California, development fees alone run $157,000 per home before a single nail is hammered. And that doesn’t even include additional permitting costs and utility connection fees.

The government used to give away 160 acres for free. Now local governments charge six figures for permission to build.

Go figure that California, with its endless lip service about affordable housing, is also the epicenter of American homelessness.

But it turns out there's a ready-made solution staring policymakers in the face.

The office property market is a complete bloodbath right now. Between the sluggish economy, AI reducing demand for workers, and the lingering work-from-home paradigm, the prices of office properties across the country have tanked.

More than 200 distressed office buildings changed hands across the country in 2025, with average sale prices down 37% from 2019. In Manhattan, a 920,000-square-foot tower sold for $8.5 million, down from $332.5 million. That’s a 97% decline!

Then there’s 401 South State Street in Chicago, a 485,000-square-foot office building that sold last October for $4.2 million, down from $68.1 million in 2016. That’s less than $9 per square foot.

Housing in Chicago isn’t cheap. So just imagine you’re young, fresh out of college, and staring at the prospect of paying $1,200 per month to live in a cramped apartment with three roommates.

Instead, you could pay about $13,000 for 1,500 square feet worth of space in the 401 South State Street office building that would be yours to own.

Yes, duh, it’s an office building. So it wouldn’t have the conveniences of a traditional home— like private bathrooms and kitchens. But for $13 grand?!!? Who cares. You'd have your own private space, a roof over your head, and a door that locks.

Frankly, that's not so different from military barracks and university dorms. Americans manage just fine with communal facilities when the price is right.

That's the beauty of capitalism. Such living accommodations aren’t for everyone. But at a low enough price, a LOT of people would happily trade convenience for affordability. Shower at the gym. Eat at the fast-casual spot around the corner. Live with walking distance to work downtown.

Most 20-somethings might think that’s pretty cool— especially compared to the alternative of paying out the nose for rent and never managing to save enough money to buy a house.

Same logic for a family of six crammed into a two-bedroom public housing unit in decrepit conditions; they could have a few thousand square feet to themselves.

Here’s another scenario. Let’s say a family in Topeka, Kansas locked in a 2% mortgage during the pandemic. Dad got laid off and can't find another job locally. But they don’t want to sell the house to move across country, uproot the kids, and buy a new house somewhere else at a 6% rate. So they're stuck.

Instead, Dad buys 1,000 square feet in one of these bankrupt office buildings for less than $10k. His family stays home, he commutes to his new job in a new city, and flies home on the weekends to see his kids. They make it work... which they wouldn’t be able to afford with hotels or an AirBnb.

This would be a genuine ‘starter home’— a place where someone could actually save money and build toward a proper mortgage, instead of hemorrhaging rent to Blackrock every month while still falling behind.

But the government won't allow it.

Zoning codes, building regulations, occupancy requirements— a labyrinth of rules that forbid you from such options.

Let grown adults decide for themselves. That's how capitalism is supposed to work.

Nobody would pay $400,000 for a unit with no bathroom. But $13,000? For a lot of Americans, that's not a sacrifice— it's an opportunity.

The same politicians who claim to care about the poor, the homeless, and young people priced out of the American Dream have the obvious solution sitting right in front of them.

But they won't take it, because that would mean getting out of the way.

To your freedom,   James Hickman   Co-Founder, Schiff Sovereign LLC 

PS — Another way to opt out of America's housing affordability disaster is to look elsewhere.

There are plenty of countries where you can buy a beautiful home in a major city for a fraction of what a starter unit costs in the US, and several of those purchases also qualify you for residency or eventual citizenship. So you're not just buying a home, you're buying optionality. We cover the best programs, exact thresholds, and on-the-ground intelligence in Plan B Confidential. 

https://www.schiffsovereign.com/trends/the-13000-apartments-the-government-wont-let-you-buy-155002/?inf_contact_key=be1b45181a64d92a5aa6bded0feed2af75c74c6d80b7c7d7ab87b128387eaee0

Ray Dalio says economic world order ‘is gone’ — warns of US ‘civil war.’ Preserve your wealth now

‘Let’s not be naive’: Ray Dalio says economic world order ‘is gone’ — warns of US ‘civil war.’ Preserve your wealth now

Jing Pan  Sun, April 12, 2026  Moneywise

In the wake of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, billionaire and founder of Bridgewater Associates, Ray Dalio, sounded a global fire alarm, and it’s starting to look like he was right.

The short version? The old economic world order is gone, and it’s likely not coming back any time soon.

“Let’s not be naive, ok, and say: Oh, we’re breaking the rule-based system,” Dalio said in an interview with Fortune at the WEF (1). “It’s gone. It’s going.”  Dalio was referring to the current global balance of power between nations, which has hinged on relatively predictable U.S. foreign policy.

However, since March 18, all eyes have turned to Iran.

Due to the war, the price of gas has risen about 80 cents per gallon, put down to the limited supply caused by the near-closure of the Strait of Hormuz (2). CNN reported in early April that in a speech to the press, the President threatened to bring Iran “back to the stone ages, where they belong (3)”.

This could indicate another lengthy conflict in the Middle East, but it’s only the latest in a series of echoing foreign policy maneuvers spanning the last year. For instance, in April 2025, the S&P 500 had one of the largest dips in its history, driven by U.S. “reciprocal” tariffs (4). The remainder of 2025 saw threats against Greenland’s sovereignty, regular verbal sparring over NATO targets and further shifts in the ongoing Ukrainian War.

Now, with gas at over $4 a gallon on average, many everyday Americans and Wall Street investors are worried about the economic impacts the new energy crisis has triggered.

Wars on multiple fronts could spell disaster

Essentially, wars suck up time and capital while eroding trust. Purchasing debt from a nation actively engaged in a war, for example, could be a bad bet, according to Dalio.

And this isn’t the first time Dalio has warned about a shaky grasp on the current global world order. In an interview in late 2025 on Leaders with Francine Lacqua (5), Dalio was confronted with a blunt question: “Could we be close to another world war?”

He didn’t hesitate. “We are in wars,” Dalio replied. “There is a financial money war, there's a technology war, there's geopolitical wars, and there are more military wars.”

Then came his more unsettling assessment: The U.S. itself isn’t immune.

“We have a civil war of some sort, which is developing in the United States and elsewhere, where there are irreconcilable differences,” Dalio said.

Here’s how things break down on the home front.

Mounting Division

Political opinion in America is sharply divided.

The American Survey Center reported as of 2025 that 71% of Republicans were at least somewhat satisfied with the current state of affairs in the country, and only 12% of Democrats said the same. In 2024, 17% of Republicans and 51% of Democrats were satisfied.

And yet, 61% of Americans across the political spectrum now report dissatisfaction with the current administration and state of the nation (6).

With this in mind, Dalio’s bleak outlook may be more realistic.

It’s a stark warning — especially from someone who also cautioned earlier in the interview that “our power to hurt each other has never been greater.”

He outlined two paths the country could take.

To Read More: https://www.yahoo.com/finance/economy/policy/articles/let-not-naive-ray-dalio-090500188.html

Taboola the same on the Bottom of Posts

How Do I Manage This Much Money?

How Do I Manage This Much Money?

Moneywise   Fri, April 3, 2026

My mom was much richer than I realized, and left me more than I could have imagined. How do I manage this much money?  During the next 20 years or so, Americans will inherit an estimated $105 trillion as older Americans pass down their accumulated wealth to younger generations, in a phenomenon that has been dubbed the Great Wealth Transfer (1).  That means there will be a lot of people who are surprised — even if pleasantly so — to be inheriting money and unsure about how best to manage it.

Jeannie’s mother left her a substantial legacy. While her family was comfortable during her childhood, she had no idea that her parents were scrupulous savers and investors. Now, in addition to her childhood home, which is worth approximately $1.5 million, she has inherited a portfolio of investments worth $6 million.

Jeannie is shocked to find that her mother was so wealthy — and that she now has to manage real wealth for the first time in her life. While Jeannie was unprepared for her legacy, she also doesn’t want to waste this opportunity to improve her life now and in the future.

Here’s what Jeannie could have done to avoid this situation in the first place, and what to do if you find yourself in a similar place.

How To Have ‘The Talk’ With Your Parents

This problematic situation stems from a lack of communication around estate planning.

It’s a pretty common issue, too. In fact, the 2025 Family and Finance Study by Fidelity found that while 97% of families acknowledge the importance of talking about estate planning, almost half of those asked hadn’t actually had the conversation yet (2).

However, although so many older Americans may avoid talking about their estate plans, the adult children of this cohort are equally responsible for opening the conversation. Even if it may be awkward, it helps to frame the discussion as your desire to help them distribute their estate the way they want.

In other words, Jeannie and her mother might have avoided this situation altogether if they had sat down and had the conversation beforehand.

It’s also important to know that it doesn’t have to be a one-and-done talk. The conversation can come as part of a larger discussion about health care, a parent’s decision about aging in place or moving to assisted living and their last wishes for legacy planning.

There are several recommended approaches to carrying out this kind of conversation. For example, The New York Times recommends discussing a parent’s current health, medical history and living arrangements, while also designating a point person in the family to carry out their wishes (3).

Elsewhere, SSHK Law recommends that if your parents hesitate or avoid the conversation about end-of-life wishes, you can reassure them that you want to honor their choices, not take control of their estate (4).

In this way, by breaking up the conversation into a series of smaller discussions, you can help ease anxiety and tension.

Managing A Windfall With Professional Advice

Now that Jeannie has inherited her legacy, she has to start looking forward into the future rather than thinking about the past. In this respect, she is at least lucky that she has the time to make thoughtful choices about how to use the money her mother left behind.

She Can Also Seek Out Advice.

Whenever your financial situation changes substantively, as it did for Jeannie, it’s always a good idea to consult a professional. A financial advisor can guide you through some of the best ways to invest your inheritance to meet your goals — and advise you on the tax and legal implications.

For example, income from certain assets could bump you into a higher tax bracket. Additionally, an inherited IRA might be subject to the 10-year rule, meaning you have to withdraw all the funds within 10 years of the original account owner’s death (5).

To Read More:https://www.yahoo.com/finance/markets/articles/mom-much-richer-realized-left-120000825.html

5 Subtly Genius Things All Wealthy People Do With Their Money — That You Should Do, Too

5 Subtly Genius Things All Wealthy People Do With Their Money — That You Should Do, Too

These moves don’t have to be reserved for the super rich.

t can feel like the super wealthy have access to some secret money playbook the rest of us never got. And in a way, that’s true. They have connections and access that most of us simply will never have.

But there’s good news: A lot of things the ultra wealthy do with their money are perfectly accessible to us — we just have to be smart enough to take advantage.

These are some of the most subtly genius things all rich people do with their money. The best part? You can do them, too.

1. They Protect Their Portfolio With Precious Metals

If the past few years have shown us anything, it’s that disruptions to the market can come out of nowhere. Between the pandemic, supply-chain issues and bear markets, a lot of people’s retirement savings felt the impact.

That’s why it can be a smart idea to look for ways to protect your retirement savings from the unpredictable. For a lot of people, investing in precious metals is a way to diversify and protect their investments.

One way to do this is with a precious metals IRA through a company like GoldCo. Precious metals often outperform other investments in a volatile market, and their value tends to rise with inflation, making them an effective hedge during uncertain economic times.

Opening a gold or silver IRA is easy, and you can roll over funds from existing retirement accounts. Or you can buy gold and silver directly from GoldCo’s extensive collection.

Worried you may need to sell your precious metals in the future? Goldco offers a buy back program and will purchase your assets back from you at the highest price. Plus, GoldCo has an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau.

Want to diversify and safeguard your investments by adding gold and silver to your portfolio? It’s easy to get started here and get your free kit.

2. They Use a Financial Advisor. You Can Get Matched With One for Free

The super wealthy didn’t get that way by mistake. They’re smart: They know how valuable it is to get an expert’s help with their money. The professionals simply know things we don’t.

But for the rest of us, getting a financial advisor sounds expensive and tedious. That’s why we like a company called Unbiased. They’ll match you with a financial advisor in your area — for free.

No two people have the same financial situation, which is why Unbiased matches you with the best financial advisor for your specific situation, so you get an expert in the areas you need.

There’s no obligation to hire the advisor, and Unbiased screens every advisor to make sure you’re only getting matched with the best experts.

3. They Know You Can Get $340/Year in Cash Back on Gas and Other Things You Already Buy

The super wealthy know the devil is in the details — that’s why so many of them keep a close eye on every dollar they spend. It’s something any of us can do by using a free cash-back app like Upside.

Upside pays you cash back when you fill up at the pump and buy other things you already need, like groceries and even meals at restaurants — frequent users earn an average of $340 per year.

Once you download and install the free app, just browse its more than 50,000 participating grocery stores, restaurants and best of all, gas stations, to find a cash-back offer near you. These are always changing, but we’ve seen up to 24 cents back per gallon.

 Claim the offer you want and buy your items with your usual debit or credit card. After, check in with Upside to verify your purchase. Upside will verify your purchase and then add the cash back to your Upside account (this can take up three business days). Then you can cash out directly to your bank account, or via PayPal or gift card.

Upside pays its users $1 million each week, and the app has a 4.7 star rating from more than 250,000 reviews. Just download the free app to see how much cash back you can earn on gas, food and other things you already have to buy.

To Continue and Read More:‍ ‍https://www.gobankingrates.com/genius-wealthy-people-know-2058491/?utm_term=related_link_2&utm_campaign=1268537&utm_source=yahoo.com&utm_content=4&utm_medium=rss

How to Make a Living Will for Free in 4 Easy Steps

How to Make a Living Will for Free in 4 Easy Steps

Rachel Christian, CEPF®  PennyHoarder

Drafting a living will might not be high on your to-do list — but maybe it should be.

A living will is a legal document that details which medical treatments you want — or don’t want — if you’re ever incapacitated or unable to make decisions for yourself.

Don’t get it confused with a last will and testament, a legal document that spells out who inherits your assets after you die. A living will applies only to your end-of-life medical care wishes.

Living wills are also called advance directives, especially when they’re paired with a durable power of attorney. You can draft these documents for free in less than an hour.

We’ll show you how.

How to Make a Living Will in 4 Steps

If you’re ever incapacitated and can’t communicate, a living will and power of attorney can inform your doctors about the type of medical care you want.

Without one, your doctors will rely on your closest family members to make medical decisions on your behalf.

1. Outline Your End-of-Life Instructions

First, you need to think through the kind of life-sustaining treatments and procedures you’re willing to undergo — and under what circumstances.

This can include your preferences on:

• Ventilators

• Feeding tubes

• Palliative care (relief for pain)

• How you define quality of life

• How much effort should be made to keep you alive if you are gravely ill

• Dialysis

• Organ donation

• Resuscitation if your breathing or heartbeat stops

Confronting your own mortality isn’t easy, but writing down your health care wishes in a living will can spare your family members from a difficult situation later, said Jaclyn Roberson, a senior partner at Roberson Duran Law in San Antonio.

“When you hear stories where patients are kept on life support for years or even decades — despite their loved ones’ insistence that they would not have wanted to remain on life support — it’s usually because the patient didn’t execute an advance directive,” Roberson told The Penny Hoarder.

Keep in mind that a living will becomes effective only once two physicians separately determine that you’re no longer capable of making medical decisions for yourself. So as long as you’re conscious and able to communicate, health care providers will always listen to you instead of your living will.

You may have a general idea of what you want your end-of-life care to look like, but it’s hard to predict the future. That’s why the next step — naming a durable power of attorney — is so important.

2. Consider Naming a Durable Power of Attorney as Well

Many experts recommend creating a durable power of attorney along with your living will.

A durable power of attorney is a legal document that appoints a person — usually called your health care proxy or agent — who can make important health care decisions on your behalf if you’re unable to do so.

Why is it important to appoint a health care agent if you’ve already detailed your wishes in a living will?

“It can help you in future situations that you have no control over and can’t predict in advance,” said Sandra Choi, an estate planning attorney at Choi Law Firm. “You can certainly detail health care preferences and share your opinions (in a living will), but the medical power of attorney assigns the actual decision-making process to another adult who will act on your behalf.”

For example, you might go in for a routine surgery but remain unconscious after the procedure. The doctor will propose a few options for the next operation.

“Your health care proxy, under the medical power of attorney, will make the choice,” Choi explained.

Your health care agent will be the point of contact for your medical team and can make decisions about anything you didn’t cover in your living will.

In some states, a living will and durable power of attorney are outlined in the same document.

You can appoint anyone as your health care agent, including your spouse, an adult child, a sibling, a friend or even your lawyer.

You can also name alternate health care proxies in case your first choice is unwilling or unable to act on your behalf.

Generally, a power of attorney expires if you become incapacitated, but a durable power of attorney remains valid even if you can’t make decisions for yourself.

Trying to get your affairs in order? Here are five estate planning moves you can make for under $100.

3. Write Your Living Will

To Continue and Read More:  https://www.thepennyhoarder.com/retirement/how-to-make-a-living-will/?aff_id=319&aff_sub2=pandemic-mistakes&rc=off-c-4-41080&aff_sub=rc-off-c-4-41080

4 Things To Consider Before Tapping Into Retirement Funds

4 Things To Consider Before Tapping Into Retirement Funds

Josephine Nesbit   Sun, March 22,   GoBankingRates

There’s a great deal of planning that goes into retirement, especially when it comes to deciding if, when and how to tap into your nest egg. Assessing your retirement fund is more than just covering your expenses. It can also affect your taxes, long-term income and investment growth.

Whether you’re approaching retirement age or considering withdrawals earlier than planned, here are several things to consider before tapping into your retirement funds.

What Are Your Needs?

Before tapping into your retirement funds, ask yourself how much you actually need and if it’s necessary.

According to the 2025 Annual Retirement Study from the Allianz Center for the Future of Retirement, 64% of Americans worry more about running out of money than death. Kelly LaVigne, vice president of consumer insights at Allianz Life, noted that a strong retirement strategy can help address how long savings need to last.

Once funds are withdrawn from retirement accounts, it may be difficult or impossible to replace them. Modest withdrawals, if repeated over time or taken earlier than planned, can also shorten a portfolio’s life span.

What Are Your Sources of Income?

What are your predictable sources of income outside of your retirement accounts? This could be Social Security, pensions, part-time work or other income streams.

Social Security is often the baseline for guaranteed retirement income, helping cover essential expenses. While $2,071 per month, which is the average monthly Social Security retirement benefit for January 2026, per the Social Security Administration, doesn’t replace a full paycheck, it can help you reduce the amount you need to withdraw from retirement savings.

How Does Your Investment Mix Affect Your Withdrawal Rate?

To Continue and Read More:  https://www.yahoo.com/finance/markets/articles/4-things-consider-tapping-retirement-144905486.html

3 Mistakes That Wipe Out Million-Dollar Nest Eggs

 3 Mistakes That Wipe Out Million-Dollar Nest Eggs, According to a CFP

Jake Safane   Sat, March 21, 2026   GoBankingRates

For many people, reaching $1 million or more in retirement savings sounds like a surefire way to retire comfortably. But before you start dreaming of carefree golden years, it’s important to understand that million-dollar nest eggs can easily be wiped out by simple mistakes.

The problem usually isn’t blowing through your retirement savings by buying a yacht the day you leave your job, or seeing all your investments wiped out from a stock market crash. There are ways to prevent these types of mishaps, like through diversification, adjusting investment risk as you age and knowing what you can afford.

Still, some less flashy issues can easily bring down your retirement plan. In a recent YouTube video on his Retirement Made Simple channel, Kevin Lum, a certified financial planner (CFP) and founder of Foundry Financial, shared the following three mistakes to watch out for.

1. Not Planning for Long-Term Care

The first mistake to avoid, according to Lum, is not accounting for the cost of long-term care. This could be factoring in the cost of long-term care insurance, along with expectations of uninsured costs.

While it’s not easy to know exactly what care you’ll need, you don’t want to ignore the issue altogether. Working with a financial planner, you might be able to more accurately model how much to budget, based on factors like your age, health history and insurance.

But if you ignore the issue altogether, that can be expensive. Around 70% of adults age 65+ will need long-term care, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and they’ll need this care for about three years.

A Schwab analysis, based on Genworth data and this three-year timescale, then suggests that a retiree now might need to budget $226,512 for an in-home health aide or $350,400 for a private room in a nursing home, and those costs could significantly increase in future years.

So, that could take a big bite out of a million-dollar nest egg, especially if you end up on the high side of the average.

2. Not Planning for Cognitive Decline

Another big issue is not planning for cognitive decline, noted Lum.

He pointed to research from economist Lewis Mandell that financial abilities peak at around age 53 before declining. And while there’s some nuance there, like with investment knowledge peaking around age 70, this still means that many retirees have to face the uncomfortable truth that they’ll be less equipped to make financial decisions later in life, explained Lum.

To Continue and Read More:  https://www.yahoo.com/finance/markets/articles/3-mistakes-wipe-million-dollar-125304222.html

10 Frugal Lessons I Learned From Being Flat Out Broke

10 Frugal Lessons I Learned From Being Flat Out Broke

By Michelle   Saving Money   Invested Wallet

During the years I attended college, and shortly afterward, when I was about 21-22 years old, I was flat out broke. I was living in the middle of a big city all by myself and paying my bills on a server’s salary. I had zero savings and was living paycheck to paycheck just to get by; frugal living was a necessity.

To paint you a better picture of my situation, allow me to elaborate.

My Apartment 

My apartment was old, tiny, lacked air conditioning, and had bars on the windows. It sat right on the edge of downtown–I could either walk right out of my doorway toward one of the best hospitals in the area or left into a lion’s den of run down and disheveled housing, loiterers clearly up to no good, and bars on the window of every business along the sidewalk.

The drain in the bathtub was often clogged, and I usually ended up taking some sort of disgusting, lukewarm bath/shower hybrid every time I wanted to get clean. The sink in the kitchen had to be fixed multiple times before it functioned properly. I had no microwave–just a very small and very old oven.

Speaking of things I didn’t have — furniture. I had no furniture, save for a cheap Ikea armchair, an old wooden table with two chairs that came free from my Grandma’s house, and a mattress that I had classily placed directly on the floor of my bedroom.

My extremely small TV and a DVD player had been gifted to me by a previous boyfriend. They were propped up on top of a crate which also sat on the floor. I had one or two plastic shelving/drawer units scattered around to hold random things like shampoo bottles and bars of soap. My apartment was depressing, at best.

I would venture to guess that most would have considered it unlivable upon seeing it in all of its glory. Back in those days, I was taking frugal living to an extreme — and not because I wanted to. I was just completely and helplessly flat out broke.

10 Frugal Lessons I Learned From Being Flat Out Broke

1. I Can Live Without Things, but Not Without People

Surprisingly enough, my biggest problem was not that I had practically no money or objects to my name, but that I had virtually no friends. Meeting people in a big city is hard, especially if you don’t have the money to hang out in bars, museums, or wherever else you go to meet people.

Obviously, there are free ways to meet people — but I didn’t know what they were. I had spent most of my teenage and college years playing team sports, where friendship came with being teammates, and I had no idea how to go about meeting new people.

As a result, I ended up spending most of my time alone, which I do enjoy and certainly miss now that I have had children and sacrificed any sort of alone time I ever had. (Seriously, why do your kids want to watch you pee?) Despite that, being alone pretty much all the time can get a bit overwhelming after a while, even for the introvert’iest of introverts.

Eventually, I began to long for more people in my life, but I can’t remember ever wishing I had more things to fill my empty apartment. More relationships would have been enough for me.

2. Living Above Your Means Is Even More Stressful Than It Is Stupid

The reason I ultimately decided to move back home from my apartment in the city was a mix of loneliness and fatigue. I was tired of worrying if I was going to be able to pay my rent every month. I was tired of not being able to take a single day off of work, even if I was sick because missing one day of tips would send me straight into the red for the month’s bills.

Working just to live is exhausting. At some point it just became silly. I couldn’t even afford to go out and do any of the stupid fun things that the kids my age were doing. Why was I punishing myself and my finances when I had a warm, comfortable, and (most importantly) free home to go live in? My parents would have loved for me to move back home, so what was I waiting for?

After all, what is the point of living in a big bustling city if you can’t afford any of the bustles?

3. Frugal Things Are Fun Too

I had three main sources of entertainment when I lived in the city: people watching, going to the library, and feeding the ducks. I was basically an 80-year-old man trapped in a 22-year-old girl’s body.

People Watching

I often found myself jogging or walking around the city, both for exercise and just to see what was going on that day. My favorite area to go for prime people-watching was High Street, downtown’s main drag. Walking those sidewalks, I frequently wondered if it had been named for the state of the people who traveled it on foot.

City people are a different breed of people. They are exciting, outgoing, flamboyant, and just plain entertaining. So much different than the buttoned-up small-town folk that I grew up around. I found endless entertainment, just walking down the sidewalks, and observing. Never paid a dime for it either.

To Continue and Read More:  https://investedwallet.com/frugal-lessons-i-learned-from-being-flat-out-broke/

14 Bad Money Habits That Will Keep You Broke Forever

14 Bad Money Habits That Will Keep You Broke Forever

By Todd Kunsman   Saving Money  Invested Wallet

Being broke sucks. Worrying about bills and living paycheck to paycheck also sucks. And the thought of that being for a lifetime is demoralizing. While all our financial situations are different, we all have the ability to change our “broke status.”

Will it be easy? Not at all, but your financial life can completely switch gears by identifying bad money habits that are keeping your pockets empty. The trick is to really come to terms with these bad money habits and that yes, you probably are guilty of some or maybe even all of them.

Yikes: Average credit card debt that stands at nearly $16,000 and very low savings — 73% of Americans have less than $1,000 in their savings account (Source).

Have you currently wondered or seem to be asking yourself lately, “Why am I always broke?”

If you are doing any of the 14 bad money habits below, then it’s time to start making changes otherwise you’ll risk being broke forever.

1. You don’t know where your money goes

If you are stuck living paycheck to paycheck and do not have a budget in place, you probably don’t really know where your money is going.

It can help you identify what is costing you the most, where you can make cutbacks, and how to starting making financial changes. By just guessing or going in blindly to your situation, you may be missing key information.

2. You’re lazy or procrastinate when it comes to your finances

Guilty of this here in the past. I was never on the lazy side, but procrastination was my good friend.

Not everyone is a personal finance nerd like I currently am. And I know finances are not always exciting to understand or look at, but it needs to be part of your weekly routine.

Too many times I’ve heard people and friends say they will worry about it later. That’s how you stay broke or end up in financial pain as you get older. Being lazy is just as bad and it costs you money.

Remove this bad money habit immediately!

3. You don’t pay yourself first

Every paycheck or any money you get or make — you should be paying yourself first. This means, putting that money to your savings or retirement before paying any bills.

This is a popular strategy in the personal finance world, but is key to really helping you build a savings.

Yes, you want to pay your bills and any debt on time. But if you focus on just that without prioritizing your savings first, 9/10 you will have very little left to save.

4. You spend money on things you can’t afford

A big problem many people have is not living within your means.

You want the fancy car, the big house, the nice watch, or whatever it may be. But if you do not have the cash or financial cushion to pay for these things, you have no business buying them.

It’s how to end up in debt quickly, financing items you can’t afford, and wasting more money on interest.

Of course, it’s okay to treat yourself, but be wise about what you can currently afford.

5. You surround yourself with negativity

People who are negative, pessimistic, and put the blame on others or societal factors can really drag you down. Misery loves company.

Surround yourself with successful people and others who have an optimistic view of the world.

Their mentality will rub off on you and you can learn a lot from successful people.

I’ve seen other posts that blame hanging out with broke people will keep you broke. But I think it has more to do with the mentality of those around you than their financial status.

To Continue and Read More:  https://investedwallet.com/14-bad-money-habits-that-will-keep-you-broke-forever-2/

6 Signs That You Are Too Obsessed With Making Money Now

6 Signs That You Are Too Obsessed With Making Money Now

By Todd Kunsman   Make Money

Making money is something I’ve been working on quite a bit the last few years to better my financial health.

Yet, at times I also found myself becoming a bit too obsessed with making money now and the pursuit of wanting to get rich. I think it’s a natural feeling for many in our society.

However, I’ve been fortunate enough to catch myself and ensure I do not make it my entire life either.

Life is short and anything can change in an instant.  So while money is important to our lives, it should not be all that matters.

Below are a few signs that might signal you are becoming too obsessed with making money or getting rich fast.

1. All You Talk About Is Money

That’s rich coming from a personal finance nerd like me, right? (That’s rich, get it? #MoneyPuns)

As much as I do think about money, it’s not something I talk about constantly to everyone in my life. It can be a touchy subject to some, plus there is plenty of topics to discuss with others about besides money.

If you find that every word you speak or most of your conversations lead to making money, getting rich, or how much you’re making, try to find ways to dial it back. You shouldn’t have money on your brain 24/7.

2. You Stress Yourself Out Trying to Get Rich

Money is stressful and managing personal finances can be too. But if your obsession with getting rich and chasing the “almighty dollar” is stressing you out, you may be too obsessive.

I’m all about working hard and chasing financial independence, but if it is affecting your mental and physical well-being, it’s time to re-evaluate your goals.

Ask yourself, “Is trying to make money or get rich worth the toll it has on my body and mind?”

3. You Jump On Every Money Making Idea

Since making money now is a heavy priority, anytime some new way to make money comes up, you’re the first one to jump on it.

There is nothing wrong with wanting to try something new, but it can become a problem if you never see something through and jump to the next thing right away.

By doing this, you aren’t putting 100% of your focus on something and can get frustrated when it doesn’t work out. This can take a serious toll on your mind.

To Continue and Read More:  https://investedwallet.com/obsessed-with-making-money-now/

Why I have doubts about the supposed “next Global Financial Crisis”

Why I have doubts about the supposed “next Global Financial Crisis”

Notes From the Field By James Hickman (Simon Black)   March 11, 2026

It was the early 2000s, and poor Monty was down on his luck.

 An aging, out-of-work game hunter and security guard, Monty had been unemployed for quite some time. Fortunately, he was getting by, but living off the generosity of a family in southern California who had taken him in. Without them Monty would have almost certainly been living on the street.

 But things started to change for Monty on a fateful day when his host family received a letter in the mail from a local bank-- addressed to Monty. They eagerly ripped open the letter to find that the bank had pre-approved old Monty for a substantial line of credit!

They all found this extraordinary… and not just because Monty had no job, no income, no assets (i.e. a classic “NINJA loan” from the early 2000s). What was particularly unique about this case is that Monty was a dog.

 We’ve talked about this a lot over the years-- but in case you’re too young to remember, the early 2000s was a decade in which anyone and everyone was able to borrow money.

 The Federal Reserve had slashed interest rates to zero-- which made borrowing look cheap… even free. And government policy was prompting banks to ignore all common sense and underwrite loans to anyone with a pulse… and occasionally some people without a pulse.

 The stories covered in books like Michael Lewis’s The Big Short are hilarious-- dead people, homeless people, unemployed people, prison inmates, canines and cats… they were wall approved for mortgages despite having no ability to make monthly payments.

 There were so many loans being issued that the US mortgage market quickly ballooned to $11 trillion.  Investment banks packaged up these dubious loans and dressed them up as special investment-grade bonds… and then the big Wall Street ratings agencies (like S&P, Fitch, etc.) slapped the highest quality “AAA” rating on them as if they were risk-free.

 The whole system blew up in 2008, causing multiple financial institutions to collapse-- triggering the Global Financial Crisis.

 The warning signs were there all along. But very few people paid attention.

 My friend and partner Peter Schiff was one of the few voices of reason who accurately predicted this crisis years before it actually happened; Peter used to go on live television and get laughed at by CNBC’s panel of ‘experts’. But in the end, Peter was right… and the whole system blew up.

 It turns out that lending money to broke, unemployed people who cannot pay is a pretty stupid lending policy.

 Now, you may have heard about new trouble emerging in the financial sector. And gee what else is new. Finance guys almost invariably find ways to generate short-term profits while creating long-term risk.

 And the latest brewing financial crisis of the day is the so-called ‘private credit market’.

 Private credit is what it sounds like-- funds and investors (i.e. NOT banks) underwrite private loans to companies. This isn’t particularly controversial; private lending is one of the cornerstones of capitalism.

 And usually these loans are asset-backed-- just like a real estate mortgage-- so the lender has collateral.

 Private lending was initially brought on by the ultra-low interest rates of the pandemic era (when companies could borrow for 3%); and it also ballooned-- estimated at roughly $3 trillion. That’s a pretty chunky number, even in the $30+ trillion US economy.

 But, just like the subprime market in the years before the GFC kicked off, there are starting to be warning signs that private credit is cracking.

 One of those-- most notably-- is that a major private lending fund (run by Blackstone, one of the world’s largest asset managers) has capped redemptions, i.e. they have limited the amount of money that investors can withdraw.

 This is a pretty clear sign of strain. Perhaps not the proverbial canary in the coalmine… but it’s a big deal that an investment firm with the size and reputation of Blackstone isn’t letting its investors out of their fund.

 (In fairness, the fund documents do stipulate redemption limits. But it’s pretty unusual for an asset manager to have to exercise this clause.)

 Another sign of strain is that default rates are up dramatically. Fitch (the same guys who slapped AAA ratings on NINJA loans 20 years ago) estimated that roughly 10% of US private loans are in default. That’s a big number, and it could go a lot higher.

 A key reason is that interest rates are MUCH higher today than when many of these loans were originally underwritten. So, any borrower that needs to refinance (which is likely the vast majority) will see a massive spike in monthly payments.

 That will be unaffordable for a lot of borrowers, resulting in even higher defaults. Plus, general economic malaise could contribute to higher default rates too.

 A chief concern about private credit is that many loans were like subprime “NINJA loans”, i.e. private loans that were way too big, issued to borrowers who were not creditworthy.

 I doubt anyone will shed any tears that Blackstone might lose money in a bad deal. But there could be knock-on effects-- specifically to banks.

 I know the whole point of ‘private’ credit is that the loans are NOT issued by banks. But in a rather peculiar twist, banks often loan money to private credit funds, who in turn loan that same bank money to the final borrower. Strange, right?

 Bottom line, banks are exposed.

 A few prominent voices lately have been warning that this private credit fiasco has all the hallmarks of the early 2000s subprime bubble… and that the next GFC is upon us.

 And there are definitely similarities. But a LOT of major differences too-- most notably size. The private credit market is MUCH smaller than subprime was, and it’s difficult to see how those losses would take down the US financial system again, let alone the entire global economy.

 But there are also significant existing risks in the banking sector-- like rising defaults in traditional office and commercial loans, and mark-to-market losses in banks’ bond portfolios.

 We’ve talked about this before-- US financial institutions are collectively sitting on hundreds of billions of dollars in unrealized losses, and most of those losses ironically come from Treasury bonds. So, another ~$100+ billion hit from private credit could definitely hurt banks.

I’ve been looking at this pretty hard, but at the moment I don’t see some epic crisis emerging from private credit.

 That said, one EASY Plan B option to safeguard your capital is to hold funds at Treasury Direct.

 Through Treasury Direct, any US citizen is able to set up an account and hold virtually any amount of money through ultra-short-term T-bills; it’s like keeping your money in a 4-week certificate of deposit, but without any bank counterparty risk.

 As we’ve discussed many times before, the US government is in pretty dire financial straits. But even I don’t think they’re going to default in the next four weeks.

 So, this is a safer alternative to hold cash--and you can quickly link your Treasury Direct account to your bank for easy back & forth transfers

To your freedom,   James Hickman    Co-Founder, Schiff Sovereign LLC

https://www.schiffsovereign.com/trends/why-i-have-doubts-about-the-supposed-next-global-financial-crisis-154498/?inf_contact_key=f96c323f9cc8163cafd9dc76d0a66125df50326a1e561daba0ba774a8ec98964