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[caption id="attachment_1958" align="aligncenter" width="247"] Summer Fun in  2006[/caption] I have an important family issue to take care of, so I'm just going to post a net worth update.  I'll let the numbers do the talking.  The take away is that last month we added $9,450 to our 457 ($6,000) and 403b ($3,450) accounts.  As always, hardcore savings saves the day.  We will have three more months (July, August, and September) of 100% savings.  Here is our net worth as of June of 2016: [table id=61 /] [table id=76 /]

[caption id="attachment_1950" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Dan Otter, 403b Reformer  [/caption] Nota Bene:  This is a post that I wrote for Dan Otter at 403bwise.com  back in 2013.  Dan has led the charge in the area of 403b / 457 reform at the K-12 level.  His site is a must for all teachers; check out our podcast interview below.  Other 403b reformers meriting a visit are:   Scott Dauenhauer  and  Steve Schullo . How I Escaped My 403b by Quitting My Job Greetings to all 403bwise readers.  Let me start by expressing my gratitude to Dan Otter and the other 403b reformers who frequent this site.  Because of your invaluable 403b and 457 information, you guys have certainly saved me a lot of heartache and money over the years.  From reading your articles I learned how high fees and surrender charges made 403b plans a “heads-I-lose-tails-you-win" proposition for most investors.   In 2002 I jumped into the 403b reform movement when I successfully peti...

[caption id="attachment_1832" align="aligncenter" width="279"] Edwina & Ed in January of 1997   [/caption] Around 1992 I had a great plan.  First, I was going to graduate school to earn two degrees:  an M.B.A. and an M.A. in TESOL.  After that, I figured that I would go to Brazil and open up a language school.  Eventually, I would find a beautiful Brazilian wife, and we'd live happily ever after.  Then in July of 1992, I met my future wife and all those plans were instantly irrelevant. How We Met Here is the Reader's Digest version that I love to tell my students.  Don't worry, it's not true: Class :  Sr. Mills, how did you meet your wife? Me :  When I jumped out of the cake, our eyes met and it was love at first sight. Class :  Gross!  Disgusting!  That image is seared in my brain! Me :  You're welcome.  ¡De nada! The True Story *  We met at a party in Atlanta.  I was there having a good time with some old college buddies that I ...

Crappy Jobs or Bust! Summer greetings to my dozens of loyal readers!  As you know, no one loves a "crappy" job more than this guy.  Unfortunately, over the last two years I've been very busy with my latest job, and it severely cut into my blogging.  Well, last week I worked my last day at "crappy job II."  Now that I no longer have to keep secrets from my students, I can tell you all about it. In June of 2014 my wife and I took new jobs in Douglas, Georgia.  The marital-lottery-winner took a middle school job and I landed a high school Spanish job.  We took the jobs for a few reasons.  First, after a year of homeschooling, our son expressed an interest in returning to traditional school.  Second, my brother-in-law in Tifton, GA was diagnosed with terminal cancer, so by moving to Douglas we would be only an hour away.  Third, my wife and I agreed that another year or two of hardcore savings would fast forward us to our goal of a $1 million net worth.  For those ...

[caption id="attachment_128" align="aligncenter" width="750"] Be Prepared: Front-loading Can Lead to Some Lean Checks... [/caption]   Like my buddy the Mad Fientist , I'm a huge advocate of front-loading.  If that's a new term for you, this post is going to show you the hidden power of your paycheck.  A quick search of the term "front-loading" offers this definition: the process of "distributing or allocating (costs, effort, etc.) unevenly, with the greater proportion at the beginning of an enterprise or process."   In our case, front-loading refers to our practice of diverting 100% of our paychecks into our various retirement-educational-healthcare accounts.  Each year we start this process in January to make sure that we hit our savings goals...this is financial priority number one.  The main accounts for these hardcore savings are the 457 and 403b accounts offered by our employer.  We also save money in:  IRA's, an HSA...

[caption id="attachment_1494" align="aligncenter" width="773"] Future Debt Slaves of America? [/caption] As a teacher, I value education to the utmost.  Over my lifetime, I have earned four degrees, learned a few languages, and read a ton of books.  In my eyes, obtaining knowledge is fun, motivating and life-changing.  However, these days I have a real problem with higher education and its runaway costs.  In its current form, higher education benefits academia, banks, and politicians while creating a generation of future debt slaves. Over the last thirty years college tuition, room, and board have become insanely expensive. For example, in 1982, my freshman year, total costs at my alma mater were $7,700 a year, but today it costs a cool $60,000 a year...whiskey tango hotel!  To be fair, that horse-choking number represents the annual cost at a prestigious private college .   It's also true that few students graduate with student loan debt over $100K, ...

  [caption id="attachment_1227" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Nerding Out on Minecraft [/caption] Like most inhabitants of Earth, we love technology in all its forms.  We have computers, smart phones, tablets, a Roku (for our 2002 unsmart TV) and a Wii.  Of course, we need an Internet connection to bring the world into our home, so an Internet connection is a must.  After enjoying a one-year introductory rate of $25 a month, I realized that our local ISP was now charging us $50 a month for a 25Mpbs Internet connection.  Something inside me said that we were paying too much, so I began researching our options. At the Mr. Money Mustache forum I came across a technology guide by I.P. Daley.  I couldn't believe what I read: Realistically, most people in this day and age can easily get by with no more than 3Mbps service." ( Read it all here. ) What?!  Well, after reading his guide, I emailed our ISP to learn about their lower-end options.  Sure ...