Let’s do something a little different today. Over the last couple of days, I have spotted a couple of money articles that I think are interesting and worth sharing.
If you like this kind of curated recommendation, let me know, and perhaps I’ll do it a little more often.
Surprise! People are Happy About their Money Situation
There’s a lot of gloom and doom in the news nowadays. If you ask many Americans about the economy, they’ll say that it isn’t doing so well. In fact, that’s one of the big reasons for President Biden’s low approval ratings.
Personally, I have mixed feelings. The stock market is doing well, unemployment is low, GDP growth is great, and inflation has largely been tamed. However, the Rent is Too Damn High. (Younger readers may want to click on that link to understand the reference.)
Americans think that the economy is terrible, but surprisingly, you get the opposite reaction if you ask them about their personal finances. Axios and the Harris Poll ran a poll, and Americans are actually pretty happy with their finances.
The US is the Largest Crude Oil Pumper in the World
There are a lot of people who feel like the United States hasn’t been producing oil like it should. I don’t understand this belief. The United States has been pumping out more oil than ever before – double what it pumped out a decade ago. It’s more than any country in the history of the world.
Quartz: The United States is drowning OPEC in oil.
In addition to all this oil, the US has increased green energy sources. Shouldn’t we be happy with all this energy production?
Millionaires Create Their Own Luck
ESI Money has a great guest post: Millionaires Create Their Own Luck
(For those who don’t know, ESI is short for “Earn, Save, Invest.”)
It’s a long article, but my favorite section is “Our Choices Compound”
He gives some examples of cases where people’s choices, both positive and negative, can lead to financial wealth (or lack of wealth).
I’ve always said that I’ve been very lucky. Now, I’m wondering how much of that is putting myself into a position that fosters luck.
For example, I started this blog 18 years ago on a whim. I met a bunch of like-minded people (personal finance junkies) online. One of them became one of my very best friends in real life. They own a software service company and asked me to do some work for them. I’m quite happy with the work and pay.
There’s a certain amount of luck involved for all this to happen. However, I fostered the environment to make it possible.
Final Thoughts
Again, please leave a comment and let me know what you think about this format. I hope to have a fresh article for you early next week.
Rich says
I liked this format, I miss the old pfblogs syndication site and sad to see so many sites die over the past decade. Keep it up.
Lazy Man says
Great to see you comment! It’s been a long, long time!
Joe says
I’ll head over to read. I think it’s a mix of luck and hard work. You have to place yourself in a position where there are opportunities and you have to take advantage of the opportunities when they come up. You won’t get very far if you’re lucky, but don’t work on it.
On the economy, I’m pretty happy with it. I don’t know what people are complaining about. The US did way better than most countries over these last few years.