Financial Literacy for the Rest of Us

The Blog. No Gurus.

Sharp, honest writing about money, investing, and the system designed to keep you spending. From the authors of How to Die Broke.

Illustration of a man working levers behind a green curtain, echoing the man behind the curtain in The Wizard of Oz

Money Mindset

Pay No Attention to the Man Behind the Curtain: Financial & Life Lessons in the Land of Oz

A canceled podcast interview, a father-son road trip, and a lesson in keeping your word — the great and powerful host who turned out to be nobody once the curtain came down.

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Father and son talking investing on a long highway drive

Family & Money

What Does a 15-Year-Old Learn on a 12-Hour Road Trip?

A hot stock tip, a ticker symbol, and twelve hours of highway turn into a crash course in teaching teens to invest. The interview fell through. This financial literacy lesson for teenagers didn't.

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Starbucks coffee cup — you could own a piece of this company

Investing Basics

You Already Own a Piece of Starbucks. You Just Don't Know It.

Every morning you hand Starbucks $7. The shareholder made money on that — not you. Here's how to change that without giving up your coffee.

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Financial advisor meeting — know what your advisor is costing you

Financial Advisors

Why Your Financial Advisor Might Be the Most Expensive Person in Your Life

Nobody puts it in the brochure. But 1% per year, compounded over 30 years, can cost you hundreds of thousands of dollars.

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R.L. Borom & R.T. Borom holding How to Die Broke

The Proof

R.L. Borom Started Investing With $30 a Month. Here's What 60 Years Did.

He scrubbed floors before he owned buildings. He is 93 years old. He still manages his own portfolio. The math worked.

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Chicken Little panicking — a cartoon about panic selling stocks

Investing Psychology

Chicken Little Was a Bad Investor

The sky falls every few years. Millions panic-sell and miss the recovery. The patient investor does nothing — and wins. Every time.

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A five dollar bill exploding into a tree of flying dollar signs

Investing Basics

The $5 Rule: Why You Don't Need to Be Rich to Start Investing

You don't need $1,000 to start. You need $5 and an auto-deposit you'll never miss — here's the math on what that turns into.

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