Boom, Bust, & Balance

- Finance, Life, & Corporate Chaos

Monthly Archives: May 2015

Changing Jobs – Am I Crazy?

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I was walking towards my stark, windowless office building like I had done every day for the last eight years. But this time, as I approached, I felt a suffocating weight pushing back against my chest. I literally couldn’t take another step forward. It was like my subconscious was screaming at me not to go in.

Space Shuttle Launch

Bye-Bye Shuttle!

I knew the Space Program was going to be intense at times, but the stress I was under every day was horrendous. Everything had to go perfectly. I would be lying in bed at night with a million thoughts racing through my mind. I couldn’t sleep. I had to rely on coffee to make it through the day. My personality was changing. I stopped returning many phone calls and emails. I lost my friends. I started associating more and more with work people instead. Even though I exercised regularly, I felt my health declining. I just couldn’t see it yet, but I was definitely sick. The stress was transforming me.

So I quit.

Know the Reasons Why You Want to Leave…

I found it very helpful to list all of the reasons I wanted to leave. This is what my list looked like: Continue reading →

Creating and Maintaining a Realistic Budget – The First Step to Ordered Finances

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A few years ago, I remember quite vividly looking through my checking account and bill statements and feeling overcome with nausea. The numbers just weren’t adding up. The credit card balances, while not maxed out, were slowly growing each month. I was clearly living beyond my means. It’s an easy trap to fall into, particularly when you live in an expensive city like Los Angeles. My lifestyle inflated to match my growing income, sometimes surpassing that income ever so slightly. I knew I had to do something about it immediately; this couldn’t wait.

In fact, many people I speak with don’t seem very certain about where their monthly paychecks actually go. They know the money disappears, but aren’t really aware how it is spent. This lack of awareness all too often results in the accumulation of debt. And that debt keeps growing until a crisis hits. Maybe it’s reaching the limits of their credit cards and getting rejected for a higher limit. Or, getting slammed with some unforeseen financial emergency that they can’t afford. But, sooner or later, a spending crisis will happen. Continue reading →

Developing a DIY Attitude

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Car Repair Image

Replacing the air filter of my current car

A few years after college, I made the obvious rookie mistake of buying a new, expensive sports car. I thought I was doing well, so why not splurge? This turned out to be a tremendous mistake and potentially damaged my finances for years to come (More on this later). Aside from the foolish cost of buying and financing the car, there is also a very real and underappreciated cost associated with repairs and upkeep. When I took the car in for the regularly scheduled maintenance at 10,000 miles, I was absolutely horrified. The bill for what seemed like a simple (10 liter) oil change, topping off of the fluids, and replacing the front brake pads was $1200. I managed to talk the manager down to an even $1000, but I was furious. What a complete rip-off. From that day forward, I swore to myself I would never go back to a dealership again for routine maintenance. More than anything, I was angry at myself for relying on people who are out to swindle me. This was the beginnings of my attitude adjustment towards self-reliance.

After the dealership debacle, I searched around on the internet for independent repair shops. But each of the reviews painted a bleak picture of these shops. Now, you may know plenty of reputable repair shops, but I just wasn’t finding any in my area that handled German cars economically. A lot of mistakes and larger than expected bills. As I closed the browser, the better option became glaringly apparent: The next time my burdensome car needed maintenance, I should just do all the work myself. I started looking around online for the price of buying the parts directly, and I was shocked at how cheap car parts actually are. The repair shops were charging an outrageous premium to do pretty simple tasks. Never again. Continue reading →

Welcome to Boom, Bust, and Balance!

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Working your way through corporate America can be a daunting task. But, breaking out on your own can be downright scary! And what about building wealth? This blog tries to address these challenges and many others with practical suggestions that have worked for me. Mastering your finances will enable you to pursue whatever passions you may have without destroying your economic life in the process. Let’s go on this journey together and achieve success.

Thanks for checking out my blog!