Author: Mr. Groovy
The System Works! Or Does It?
Mrs. Groovy and I have now been retired for three years. And I must say that we are kicking this retirement thing’s ass. Here’s the skinny on our retirement thus far: Since retiring, our net worth has increased by $190,000. That works out to an average increase of $63,000 per year. Between my pension and…
The Only Two Questions You Need to Answer If You Want to Improve Your Finances
I came across yet another academic study that blamed the achievement gap between black and white students on—you guessed it—something other than black students and their parents. This time the culprit was segregation and poverty. The study, Is Separate Still Unequal, can be downloaded here, and it’s worth a look if you don’t mind reading…
In Real Life, Few People Clamor for Diversity
Last month, I began a continuing education welding course at my local community college. Eleven people signed up for the course—myself included—and to the casual observer, we represent a very diverse lot. Here’s a breakdown of our surface characteristics: 9 men 2 women 8 non-Hispanic whites 2 blacks 1 Hispanic white 7 high school graduates…
Income and Happiness
As one’s income grows, so does one’s happiness. But this dynamic isn’t immune to the laws of diminishing returns. At an income of $75,000, happiness supposedly peaks. Don’t ask me why, but my fertile mind got hung up on this factoid recently. On one hand, the correlation between income and happiness makes perfect sense. Make…
Energy, Labor, and Personal Finance
Two weeks ago, the Iranians allegedly bombed Saudi oil facilities and put a big chunk of that country’s oil production offline. Also two weeks ago, the UAW went on strike against GM, our country’s largest auto manufacturer. When I was growing up in the 60s and 70s, similar disruptions would have rocked our economy and…