Black Friday

They say that in America the streets are paved with gold. They say that America is the land of opportunity and that if you’re gonna make it, you’ll make it there. Some even say, with the power of compound interest, you (yes you) can be a millionaire. Say you have $100.00 and it earns 5% interest each year, you'll have $105.00 at the end of the first year. But at the end of the second year, you'll have $110.25. Not only did you earn $5.00 on the $100.00 you initially deposited—your original "principal"—but you also earned an extra $0.25 on the $5.00 in interest. Twenty-five cents may not sound like much at first, but it adds up over time. Even if you never add another dime to that account, in 10 years you'll have over $162.00, and in 25 years you'll have almost $340.00. Not a powerful example, I know, but let’s say you save $10,000 in a retirement plan. What will your investment be worth after 40 years, if you don’t make any additional contributions? Assuming an expected rate of return of 9 percent, the total approximate value of your investment would double to $20,000 in 8 years, $40,000 in 16 years, and $80,000 in 24 years, $160,000 in 32 years, and $320,000 in 40 years.


Translation, if I had saved small and started early, I could be a millionaire by the time I retired.

The problem is I didn’t, and the older I get the more the power of my compound interest weakens. Here in Brazil, I feel even more powerless. Despite the fact that the Brazilian economy is growing, things are not all cupcakes and butterflies and sunshine as the Brazilian media often portrays.

The truth is, for those of us on the bottom end of the economic gab, the cost of living and the dismal salaries are savings prohibitive. I see my girl working three jobs, leaving the house at 7 in the morning and coming back at 9 at night (this includes working every Saturday). At the end of the month, despite the fact that we live rather humbly, don’t have a car, limit our cell phone use, etc., there IS NO money left over. We can’t save, we can’t build, and that starts to really wear on you.


In time, I think we could turn things around. We could find better jobs, be more disciplined with our savings, and maybe buy a used car. We could work as teachers at an international school, maybe open our own business. The problem is, without the proper US based certifications, and with our difficulties saving money, we can’t get there from here. Despite America’s current financial troubles it would still be easier for us to build in the “land of opportunity”, and to attain that wondrous status of middle class. Given the necessary elements of discipline, hard work, and a little luck, I think we could do better than in Brazil.

In this sense, the time is nigh. If we are going to do this thing, we want to do it right. It is well past the hour to get our financial life in shape—to make a concerted and focused effort to save and to begin to build our empire. For this we need a plan, which is finally beginning to materialize:

1. Don't do what most Americans do (i.e. avoid the worship of stuff) 2. Pay off all debt finishing in December (the borrower is the servant to the lender and we don't want to be slaves) 3. Make a proactive monthly budget and stick to it (if you don't control your money it controls you) 4. Put $10,000 into an emergency “when shit happens” account 5. Find work where we are naturally gifted and work hard (get rich quick is stay poor trying) 6. Always live beneath our means (i.e. maintain humble lifestyle even with success) 7. Diversify our investments; invest in mutual funds 8. Save! And learn how to bargain hunt (patience is key) 9. Learn the art of negotiation and pay for things with cash 10. Take baby steps (prioritize plan and move slowly)

Who knows what the future holds? It’s time to open the gate and see where this puppy goes.

I am thankful for:

1) The birds and the bees 2) Blueberry smoothies 3) Positive uncommon people 4) Being intimidated by my girlfriends uncanny intelligence and beauty 5) The original Mario Kart on SNES 6) Pizza parties 7) Everyone that lived on Yale Rd. in Boulder 8) Michael Dehn of Seattle 9) Diversity 10) White Russians 11) Cheesy breadsticks from Bilbo’s 12) Equating motorcycles with sexuality 13) My P-Town Kzoo homies 14) Creative expression through movement 15) William Earnest Henly’s poem “Invictus” 16) Covering things with cheese 17) Your momma jokes from the 90’s 18) Daniels-Hof-Meer 19) Palm trees 20) Playing “pitch” with the Johnson’s 21) Anthropology 22) Hot onions off the grill 23) Miyamoto Musashi's Book of the Five Rings 22) Rocking chairs 23) Electric guitars 24) Evolution 25) Flexible egos 26) The Matrix 27) The products of “Google” 28) World citizenship 29) Museum exhibits 30) Using the movie ‘Shawshank Redemption’ for containment metaphors 31) Stitch the Dog 32) My music collection 33) Shem Johnson’s instinctual coolness 34) My first trippy experience: Alice in Wonderland 35) Ponderosa Pine 36) Taos Pizza Outback 37) Geeks that play with swords 38) Abraham Lincoln 39) Marxist Educational Philosophies 40) Salsa 41) Being fundamentally open to new experiences 42) Pirates 43) Horror flicks like ‘Silent Hill’ 44) Alec Johnson 45) Churrasco 46) Ban and Alison 47) Islands 48) The soundtrack to Braveheart 49) The ease of rapping in Latin 50) Making spitting noises at the dog Baltar 51) Bah! 52) The smell of libraries 53) Dry weather 54) Both of my grandmothers 55) The way ‘Coldplay’ makes me feel 56) Role models like Charles Howard who have life mission statements 57) Whip cream in cans, yes! 58) Any phrase with the word ‘monkey’ 59) Good parents 60) Good parents 61) Good parents 62) The soothing effects of Bob Marley 63) Thai massage 64) My cabin in New Mexico 65) Julie and Charlie and maybe their dog 66) Ipods 67) Dave Chappelle 68) Cinnamon-sugar almonds 69) Michigan fall colors 70) Jeffrey Giering’s life energy 71) Mountain biking through groomed snow 72) My poop flooding house caught naked story 73) Using a language with the best swear words 74) Life possibility 75) Well crafted Beer 76) Sociability of Brazilians 77) Who sunk my battleship and hungry, hungry hippos 78) Explorations of consciousness 79) Finding lost friends on the internets 80) Ass slapping (i.e. Good gamings) 81) Devin’s beautiful baby Roman 82) Italian hand gestures 83) Tequila and clubs 84) My little soldier 85) Maynard James Keenan 86) How much I suck at Halo 87) Sriracha the king of hot sauces 88) National Public Radio 89) Nonconformists 90) Finding purpose 91) Creative writing 92) Malcolm Gladwell’s wit and hair 93) Philly Cheese Steak sandwiches 94) Japanese persistence 95) Democracy in proper doses 96) Being flexible in my belief system 97) Watching people ‘epic fail’ 98) Cherry fucking cheesecake 99) Bluemoon beer 100) You, probably.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

This is what happens...

when you teach your lady to box.



I have my Masters Degree comprehensive exams coming up next week. Until that's taken care of this whole blogging thing is out.