The Story of 4 Little Pigs

Once upon a time there were four little pigs, brothers all, who decided to head out into the world and build their own homes.

The first little pig didn't want to spend much time or money on his house as there were many more enjoyable activities he could be doing.  He hastily built a frame, found some straw and hay in a nearby field, and put it all together one morning before heading out for a round of golf with his buddies and then an all-nighter playing Pinkeneye 007 on his porkstation 3.  He laughed as he walked by his brothers' yards and saw how hard they were working on their homes. 

The second little pig didn't want to spend any money on his house as he wanted to save as much he could for retirement.  He was afraid that he might have to live in a pig pen if he didn't have enough money saved for his senior years, so he never spent anything extra.  He didn't have any experience building a house, but he found some free plans at the local library, gathered the sticks from discard bins at local wood yards, and found some used twine at a local post office.  He spent several days putting the house together, an activity made more difficult because so many of the sticks were crooked and the twine often broke.  When he was done he went to Cost Club to eat the free samples as a reward for how little his house cost him.  He shook his sadly as he walked by his brothers still building their homes, knowing that they had spent more money than he had, but he felt sorry for them wasting all that money on their houses with retirement only a few decades away.

Good Financial Articles

There have been some great articles written in various newspapers, magazines and on blogs over the past few weeks.  The following are a few that I think our readers might be interested in, including an article we posted here last year:

Investments too good to be true - RCU Speak Blog

Joint bank accounts are increasingly being used to defraud seniors and effectively rewrite wills - Macleans.ca

Protect yourself from debit and credit card fraud - Financialpost.com

Make money from a lottery?  Don't be a fool - Globeandmail.com

What is the cheapest thing you've ever done? -  Million Dollar Journey Blog

Enjoy yourselves this weekend, and keep your money safe.  Jerry

 

Financial Articles For You

I have found a few Financial Articles that I think may be of some interest to you.  I'm linking to the specific article, as I don't always agree with everything on the website itself.
Enjoy.

An Interview With The Millionnaire Next Door - Get Rich Slowly Blog
Eight tips for feud-free estate plans - Financial Post
Keeping the farm all in the family - Financial Post
Feeding yourself on a dollar a day - Macleans

If you know of a good financial book or article that you have read, please post a comment about it below.
Jerry

Guerrilla Frugality - Saving You Money

Have you ever cleaned up after Christmas and asked yourself “Why do we need all of this stuff?”  And then as the credit card bills arrive in January you think “Is all of this stuff worth it?”  Well, it’s from those questions that a movement has started to grow around the world: Guerrilla Frugality.

Guerrilla Frugality is (to many) a way of life that involves cutting costs wherever possible.  As in any activity, some people take it to extremes, but most people who live a life of guerrilla frugality are simply trying to pay off debt, save for retirement, and live within their means.  The emphasis is on doing whatever you can to achieve those goals.  Some people embrace guerrilla frugality because of their debt load, and others because they have seen their parents retire without enough savings to support themselves and don’t want to have the same thing happen to them.  Whatever the reason, it often becomes a way of life instead of just a temporary thing.