In our defense, we didn’t make enough to afford a large TV until after the first 4 were born. ;)

My wife started naming chores Level 1, Level 2, etc. for our video game obsessed son. By framing chores as the stages of a video game, it triggered his competitive need to speedrun the chores.

Basic economics. American steel costs more. Tariffs will preserve/create more American jobs, but those workers are less efficient than overseas options. Free trade won’t guarantee everyone a job, but the overall standard of living rises when goods move freely across international borders.

I’d agree with those figures. I’d need another 20k in household income to be satisfied. My wife and I will cross into a combined 6 figure annual income this year. We feel secure, but we don’t feel financial freedom. With 6 kids, our rising salaries allows us financial stability, yet we aren’t able to afford real…

I’m not making any accusations or assigning guilt, but in the wake of recent school shootings, writing about avoiding parental involvement and responsibility in our schools feels tone deaf. Maybe go another direction like “I feel uncomfortable doing X, but I want to be involved in my child’s school.”

26.5% seems like an incredibly high rate to pay on any debt. If they are committed to eliminating the debt, there might be other places to refinance at a lower rate and come out ahead. We opened a HELOC and put all the outstanding debt there about a year ago. The interest savings alone freed up over a grand a year…

The custom URL is a great way to add a message to prospective employers and your network. For a long time, I had the custom URL that ended in /MarketingAndPublicRelations. I couldn’t believe that was available, but I know it got me views. I gave it up a bit back as I’m trying to make a career switch, so now my URL is…

No, this isn’t a 1st amendment issue. It’s a broader issue of the free flow of information. My issue is with a website formerly part of the Gawker network advocating exactly what Peter Thiel did to Gawker.com.

Say an internet website published an account and edited video of a private moment between two consenting adults. All questions aside about how the footage was obtained, would it be appropriate for an individual or group of individuals to use their resources to wipe said internet site out of existence?

This is wrong, and I’m surprised journalists would advocate censorship. I’m not pro-NRA, but I understand the important protections granted in our constitution. Unpopular ideas - even reprehensible ideas - should be stifled only by a lack of audience. When you create an avenue for free speech to be silenced, you lose…

When we had just one toddler walking, I would challenge him to a footrace anytime I wanted him to pick up the pace. Everything turned into a race until we were at the mall and he ran away from me screaming “Don’t beat me daddy.”

I didn’t win the truck, but I did win an awesome Truck Norris insulated mug. God Bless You Chuck Norris.

My coworker asked something about the innings in a basketball game yesterday. All her kids play baseball and softball, but we’re not forgetting that gaff anytime soon.

This unless you’re giving boys a buzz cut. My wife insists on cutting the kid’s hair. She does a horrible job, and the kids know it. By the time she’s done, her back aches and she’s all but yelling at everyone. Most of the time she’s in too much pain to clean up, so we find hair everywhere for at least a week.

Don’t forget that not all loans are reported to all credit reporting agencies. When I wasn’t getting the interest rates I expected on a loan application, I did some investigating and found out my mortgage wasn’t reported to one of the big 3. Banks automatically took the lowest score, and the lack of diversity in the…

My father and I have very similar names with our middle initial being only one letter off. Until I moved to another city, I’m pretty sure I was benefiting from his established credit. I even ended up getting his credit card airline miles on my account for a while.

Amen there. Using the same product year to years saves a ton of time not reentering the same data every year.

Turbotax online and have done so for years. I make a checklist of forms I’m expecting like mortgage statements, W2's, 1099's, etc, and just enter the data in as they arrive. My W2 is usually the last thing to arrive, but I estimate the amounts from my final paycheck. When the checklist is complete, I know I’m ready to…

The flip side is companies should be required to publish minimum pay scale in postings. I hate applying for jobs only to find out they title inflated a minimum wage position to look like it requires a B.S. and 10+ years experience.

It’s been over a decade since I’ve taken a new job. (Every time I’ve threatened to quit, I’ve received a pay increase.) However, I was surprised at the time how unwilling my employer was to negotiate benefits. The cash was easy, but the wouldn’t budge on PTO or benefit waiting periods like insurance or 401k…