A topic that sometimes comes up in my financial literacy class, as well as other financial discussions, is people who will drive across town to a gas station with cheaper gas prices. I want to be clear, if you have multiple gas stations on your regular route and one has lower prices, then you should … Continue reading The “Driving to a Cheaper Gas Station” Problem
Category: spending
Salary Schedule Lanes: Your Million Dollar (or two or three) Decision
Many school districts have a salary schedule for teachers where your pay increases based on a combination of the number of years you have taught in the district ("steps") and the educational level you attain ("lanes"). While steps are automatic (well, except for the occasional bad budget year where steps are frozen), lanes are dependent … Continue reading Salary Schedule Lanes: Your Million Dollar (or two or three) Decision
Spend Now or Spend (More) Later
In my financial literacy class for teachers we spend a lot of time discussing the balance between spending money now and saving in order to spend money in the future. And I want to be perfectly clear, this is an important balance to achieve. Some folks (myself included) may delay gratification too much, always saving … Continue reading Spend Now or Spend (More) Later
“The Future is Never Guaranteed!” Yes. And?
There's a response (or variation thereof) that comes up in almost every section of my financial literacy class for educators. At some point (and often several points) in class discussions, participants will respond with some form of, "The Future is Never Guaranteed!" (And, yes, the exclamation point is generally included.) It always comes up in … Continue reading “The Future is Never Guaranteed!” Yes. And?
Financial Literacy In One Sentence
When I talk with people about financial topics, either in my class or in person, they often say something along the lines of, “But it’s so complicated!” I agree that some topics can get pretty complicated, and certainly there are many things you can learn to help you optimize your finances. But I also gently … Continue reading Financial Literacy In One Sentence
Is Colorado’s Cost of Living Really “So High”?
As with most of my blog posts, this is speaking to folks with a decent income (say at or around the median household income or better), frequently with a fair amount of additional privilege. That’s generally who is taking my class or reading this blog. In the financial literacy for Colorado teachers class I teach … Continue reading Is Colorado’s Cost of Living Really “So High”?
Fisch Financial 