As of this writing, the United States Government is currently in a partial shutdown. A number of agencies are unfunded and therefore, employees have been furloughed or are working unpaid. Additionally, many government contractors are also in a non-work status because of the shutdown. (Personally, I am a federal employee at an agency with funding, so I'm still working and getting paid, though I've been told my paycheck may be delayed.)Now, … [Read more...]
Keep Your Cash Safe And Protect Your Financial Stability
Good money management is a skill that anybody can learn. There are two types of people in this world: Spenders and Savers. People who spend money are impulse driven individuals with an emphasis on instant gratification. Savers tend to be future oriented and willing to sacrifice instant gratification for long-term security. Unfortunately, neither of these two opposing paradigms are the ideal financial model. A spender runs the risk of financial … [Read more...]
What is the Cashflow Quadrant?
Robert Kiyosaki of Rich Dad, Poor Dad fame developed the Cashflow Quadrant to show people how to achieve financial freedom. He even wrote a whole book about it. But what exactly is the Cashflow Quadrant?The Cashflow Quadrant, in its most simple terms, is a chart showing how people can make money. On the left side of the chart are the more active ways of making money and on the right side are the more passive ways of making money. Clearly, … [Read more...]
Shutdown?
As I have discussed here before, I'm a Federal Employee. And I'm not sure how much press this is getting outside of the DC Metro area (the DMV as it is often called, though I believe that acronym is taken by a much more painful entity), but we're looking at a government shutdown. Why? Because Congress can't decide on a budget. That's right, we've been operating without an approved budget for half the year already.In general, Federal employees … [Read more...]
Federal Pay Freeze
At work right now, the big talk is the federal pay freeze. As a federal employee, this affects me, and I have to admit, my reaction is "Well, it sucks, but it's only fair." I honestly can't complain. I know that I'm lucky to have a job and to not be worried about layoffs (though there is always a chance of a reduction in force). Some in Congress are pushing for a 10% pay cut for federal employees. That would be much harder to swallow. But a … [Read more...]