Tag Archives: finance

Methodology

How Subscription Limitation Can Change How You Spend Anything

Subscriptions are the future of sustainable, growing businesses. They can also change your life.

It’s obvious by the success of Spotify ($10 a month for all the ad-free music you want, wherever you want), crazy ideas like The Dollar Shave Club ($6 per month and you never have to think about buying razors again) and specialty products like Tonx coffee ($24 per month and you have the freshest, tastiest coffee delivered to your doorstep) that subscriptions are catching on and they aren’t disappearing soon.

Businesses love subscriptions because they generate recurring income with no added costs. While they are beautiful for business, costs compound quickly for consumers.

subscription-limitation

We all have a finite amount of subscriptions we can support based on our income, but we can transpose the subscription-model idea to our time as well.

I call it subscription limitation.

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Methodology

My 2013 Goals

It’s a bit late to post a blog about goals for the year if you’re trying to figure out new year’s resolutions, but it’s definitely not too late if you’re just curious about what I’m striving toward this year.

2013 goals

Read 52 books

This is lofty, but I’m on pace so far at a book per week. I nearly hit 40 books last year, so I think it’s attainable. Living overseas helps in the sense that there are less relational opportunities (because I’m an extrovert but my old age is transforming me into an introvert).

Study 12 books of the Bible

Niki and I are doing this together. One book of the Bible each month. We’ve never read the Bible on a reading plan together, so it’s been a joy to share insights with each other as we go. We tried to plan so we had a mix of Old Testament and New Testament along with different types of books. I normally read two to four chapters each day, and go through the book as many times as I can.

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Technology

The Best Banks in The United States


Unless you’re a caveman, you probably put your money in some type of bank. You may stash your money with a mega-corporate bank (aka The Man). In that case you likely pay fees for your bank to hold onto and useyour money or you jump through hoops to make sure you avoid stupid fees from said institution.

I consider myself a bit of a bank connoisseur. Currently, we have five financial institutions at our disposal, and yes, that is too many. If it wasn’t for my rational wife, we’d have even more because I’m a bank addict (further confirming I’m an absolute nerd).

charles schwab and ally bank

From purely anecdotal evidence, lots of people have banks they are moderately happy or even unhappy with, but they don’t know what their other options are or don’t have time to research new options. Friends, your banking problem is about to get solved.

Things I commonly hear from people with subpar banking experiences or from those rationalizing paying fees to bank:

  • “My faceless, gimmicky, corporate, bloodsucking bank is everywhere, so I can always find an ATM.”
  • “I’ve always had an account there, so it’s easier to stick with them.”
  • “They have good technology.”
  • “I have a credit card with them, so I might as well have my bank with them.” Continue reading →
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