JLCollinsnh

The Simple Path to Wealth

  • About
  • Stock Series
  • Manifesto
  • Calculators
  • Disclaimers
  • Ask jlcollinsnh
  • As seen on
  • Books
  • Credit Cards
You are here: Home / Cars and motorcycles / The. Worst. Used. Car. Ever.

The. Worst. Used. Car. Ever.

by jlcollinsnh 17 Comments

Spitfire

Back in 1977 I was renting a little studio up in Rogers Park, a neighborhood on the far north side of Chicago.  I was young, single, employed, carefree and making some bucks.

I needed a toy.  A sports car.  That’s the ticket.

I lived in the city.  I didn’t own a car.  Didn’t need one.  Didn’t want one.  Had no place to park one. So, of course, I bought one.  A British two seat convertible sports car.

My pal Albert said, “Anyone who buys a British Sports Car deserves what they get.”

He was right.  In the end it would cost $36 per mile to run, cost me my pretty blonde girlfriend and try to kill me.  I had fair warning.

What I found was a beat-up little 1971 Triumph Spitfire.  It was blue and, at 6’2” I was destined to look like a circus clown every time I got out of it.  It cost $1075.  It had 32,000 miles.  It was owned by a guy who sold advertising space for a living, just like me.  So I knew not to trust him.

Before sealing the deal we took it to a mechanic, just like you’re supposed to.  We left it and came back the next day.  He had looked it over, prepared a list of about $300 in repairs it needed and other than those gave it a clean bill of health.  The seller promptly agreed to pay the guy to fix everything if I agreed to buy it.

No, I can’t tell you why this didn’t set off ear splitting alarm bells in my head.

Yes, I’m not very bright sometimes.

But, a genuine mechanic looked at it and was fixing everything.  Right?  So unless the seller went back after we dropped it off and bribed the guy….. Wait.  What?  Hey!

I handed over the cash and brought the new-to-me Spitfire home.  I was thrilled and didn’t even mind that it was a little beat-up looking.  That was (I thought) what made it cheap and I’d be parking it on the street in the city.  Better to start with it pre-beaten.

The important thing was the top went down, it was a genuine Sports Car and I had a pretty blonde girlfriend to drive around in it.

(this is not the actual pretty blonde girl)

That first day we took it for a drive up thru the leafy, elegant and wealthy north suburbs.  Spring was in the air.  The warm Sunday evening was beautiful.  Life was beautiful.  By golly, this was exactly what I needed in my life.

Then, all by itself, it jumped out of 2nd gear.  Odd, I thought.  I put it back in.  The warm air was flowing over us.  The blonde was beautiful.

It jumped out of 2nd gear again.  Odd.  I put it back in.  We were waving our hands in the breeze, laughing.  Just like in the beautiful movies.

Jumps out again.  Then again.  And again, at more and more frequent intervals.

Now it won’t go into 2nd at all.

Now it is jumping out of 3rd.

By the time we found a Triumph/Jaguar dealer I was down to 1st and 4th gear.  The smiles and laughter were gone.  It was dark out.  Turning cold.  We parked it in their lot with a note and my phone number.  Walked thru the night until we found a pay phone.  Called a pal to drive out from the city to retrieve us.

Next day, the dealer calls.  The synchromesh is shot.  The gearbox needs a rebuild.  $450.  Serious money in those days.  I’ve driven the car a total of maybe 35 miles.  Since it is worthless without gears…..

Wednesday night my pal drives me out to pick it up.  Heading back into the city it shifts fine but is running rough.  Needs a tune-up I guess.  Not wanting to pay dealer prices, I drop it at a local shop near my apartment with instructions to give it a tune.

Thursday after work I go to the shop to pick it up.  They haven’t touched it.  Seems it has a bent crankshaft.  See how it wiggles down there where the fan attaches to the engine? What’s that going to cost?

Beats us, we just know we aren’t going to do it for you.

Friday at work I’m having a coffee with Alan, a pal who is into British cars. I’m whining about my Spitfire.  He takes pity.  Seems he knows some guys on the far South Side with a wrecking yard that specializes in Brit iron.  If I’d like, I can bring the car to him next week and he’ll drive it down for them to look over.

Monday I drive it to work, turn it over to Alan and ride the train home.  Carless.  I’ve owned it a week and a day.  I have driven it 58 miles.  It has cost $26.29 per mile.

Couple of days later, the wrecking yard calls.  This engine is so shot it can’t even be rebuilt.  Would I like them to look for a replacement from a wreck?  Since it’s worthless without an engine….

Over the next few months I get random calls from the wrecking yard.  They go something like this:

“We’ve found an engine.”

“Great, is it a good one?”

“No, it burns oil.  We don’t think you should buy it.”

“Ah, ok….”

“We’ve found an engine.”

“Great, is it a good one?”

“No, it won’t really fit in your car.  We don’t think you should buy it.”

“Ah, ok….”

Finally one late summer’s day:

“We’ve found an engine.”

“Great, is it a good one?”

“It’s from a car wrecked on the highway in an accident.”

“Ah ok….”

“It’s from a ’73.”

“Ah ok….”

“But it looks like a good one.”

“Ah ok….”

“But we can’t be sure.”

“Ah ok….”

“We think you should buy it.”

“Ah, ok.”

It costs $575 installed.  My toy is up to $2100 ($36.21 per mile, but who’s counting?).  Not quite double what I paid, but it hasn’t tried to kill me yet.  That’s still coming.

Alan picks it up and brings it into work.  He hands me the key.

“By the way,” said Alan.  “Did you tell me you had the gear box rebuilt?”

“Yep,” I said.

“Well my mechanics tell me the gearbox on your car has never been opened.  The bolts are covered with years of grime.  They are untouched.”

Ah, ok.

Within 500 miles it was burning oil.

But I was starting to get used to its quirks.  For instance, with the top down it was loud.  To hear the radio you had to crank up the volume.  At stoplights it would then be too loud so I’d turn it down. Up and down. It got to be a habit.  I didn’t realize I was being set up.

The day it tried to kill me I was coming up to a red light at a very busy intersection and, boy howdy, no brakes.  None.  Zip.  They were there at the last light, now nothing.  We went sailing into the traffic and managed to miss everybody.

Or at least they managed to miss me.  Tires squealing.  Horns honking.  Curses flying.  They were not happy.  I was not happy.  I needed new underwear.  This is not a car you want to have a wreck in.

Then the brakes came back.  Like nothing had happened.  I should’ve named it Christine.

 It did manage to wreck my romance with the pretty blonde girl.

(this is still not the actual pretty blonde girl)

 She was into country music.  I was trying to be into country music because, well, she was a pretty blonde girl.  So country music is what we had playing on the car radio, with the top down one fine and sunny day, when we stopped at a traffic light.  And I turned the music down.  Like always. Opps.

“Ah ha!”  She said.

“Ah ha?”  I said.

“I knew it.  You are embarrassed to have country music on your radio!”

Now if at that moment you could have convinced her that “No honey, I always turn the music down at traffic lights,” well, you’re a better man than I.

Kept the little beater for about two years and dumped another $500 into it with various repairs.  Ton of money to me in those days.  Sold it for $1000.  Somewhere that guy probably has a blog and is writing a new post:  “The.  Worst.  Used.  Car.  Ever.”

 

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Email
  • Reddit
  • More
  • Pinterest
  • Tumblr
  • Print
  • LinkedIn

Related

Important Resources

  • NewRetirement offers cool tools to help guide you in answering the question: Do I have enough money to retire? And getting started is free. Sign up and you will be offered two paths into their retirement planner. I was also on their podcast and you can check that out here:Video version, Podcast version.
  • Credit Cards are like chain saws. Incredibly useful. Incredibly dangerous. Resolve to pay in full each month and never carry a balance. Do that and they can be great tools. Here are some of the very best for travel hacking, cash back and small business rewards.
  • Personal Capital is a free tool to manage and evaluate your investments. With great visuals you can track your net worth, asset allocation, and portfolio performance, including costs. At a glance you'll see what's working and what you might want to change. Here's my full review.
  • Tuft & Needle (T&N) helps me sleep at night. They are a very cool company with a great product. Here’s my review of what we are currently sleeping on: Our Walnut Frame and Mint Mattress.
  • Betterment is my recommendation for hands-off investors who prefer a DIFM (Do It For Me) approach. It is also a great tool for reaching short-term savings goals. Here is my Betterment Review
  • Republic Wireless is my $20 a month phone plan. My wife is also on the $20 plan and our daughter who uses more data is on the $25 plan. Monthly total for three phones and plans: $65. We all travel widely and we can talk to each other from wherever we are and for however long we please. My RW Review tells you how.
  • Vanguard.com

These are companies I have personally vetted and recommend.

YNAB and Tuft & Needle both support this site with paid ads. If you click on those ads it shows them the ads are working for them and that support will continue.

Personal Capital, Betterment and Republic Wireless are affiliate partners of this site. Should you click though to their site from this one and chose to do business with them, this blog will earn a small commission.

Vanguard is not an advertiser or affiliate but, Vanguard if you are listening, we’d love to have you!

Filed Under: Cars and motorcycles, Life, Money

« Top Ten reasons your future is so bright it hurts my eyes to look at it
Snatching Victory from the Jaws of Defeat »

Comments

  1. John says

    June 22, 2011 at 10:06 am

    Know why the British never got into computers? They couldn’t figure out how to make them leak oil.

    Reply
  2. Trish Rempen says

    June 24, 2011 at 7:54 pm

    We had one of those at the Old Rectory. Yellow. New. 1971 Spitfire Mark 3.
    Convertible. And: without learning the valuable lesson – I bought an old really-cool-looking Jaguar.

    Pfft! I could barely GIVE it away!

    Reply
    • jlcollinsnh says

      June 24, 2011 at 8:22 pm

      Ha! I’ve been soooo tempted to buy an old Jaguar over the years. my mechanic tells me they are the one brand of car he refuses to work on…

      Which one did you have?

      Maybe having a Spitfire in Ireland made sense?

      Reply
  3. Bruce says

    June 27, 2011 at 9:14 pm

    I almost bought one of those about a year ago.I think I told you guys about it. It was $1800.00,and in pretty good shape.A later model one.I know all the caveats about owning one,but hell they’re so cool looking,and a blast to drive.Plus,I figured for $1800,how much did I have to lose.Besides,I used to ride,and still own,lots of old English motorcycles,so I’ve at least got a little idea what I’m in store for.

    Anyway,it was parked in front of an import car repair shop,and the seller was never there whenever I stopped.It was there about 4 days,then sold out from under me.I guess if it were meant to be,I’d have made more effort to contact the seller.For the best,I’m sure.Still……….

    I guess the reputation those things have for being POS’s trumps their cool factor,because you can get them all over the place,in good shape,for under 3K. Hell,you can’t touch anything else decent from the ’70s for that.Not even a bloody Pinto!

    Reply
    • jlcollinsnh says

      June 27, 2011 at 9:35 pm

      Hey Bruce….

      If I had your mechanical skills I might buy one again. they are very cool and fun to drive. and safer than a Pinto. although Pintos gave rise to the all time best bumper sticker:

      “Caution: Explodes on Impact.”

      Reply
  4. Sharon Umbrell says

    July 9, 2011 at 9:19 pm

    I sure do hope you did not buy another car…….ever !!!
    Good luck to you on your cars and your blog!!!

    Reply
  5. Mr. Risky Startup says

    May 26, 2012 at 10:05 pm

    Great story. I hope you marked this as “education costs” in your budget 🙂

    Those cars are like fake $100 dollar bills – you get screwed, and your only options are to either screw the next guy and sneak in the lemon, or write off the losses and shred the bill.

    Reply
    • jlcollinsnh says

      May 26, 2012 at 10:37 pm

      I think I filed it under “stupidity costs.” but at least I got a good story out of it. 🙂

      Reply
      • Adrian says

        February 21, 2014 at 1:23 pm

        Given that you got a blog post out of it, surely those losses are now deductible… 😉

        Reply
        • jlcollinsnh says

          February 21, 2014 at 2:44 pm

          Alas…

          too many years have passed. 😉

          Reply
  6. kris says

    May 27, 2012 at 12:57 pm

    Yeah I guess I have found your blog before your recent MMM post (but I don’t know where or how) because I remember reading this story last year. I always get a kick out of “finding” something you all ready knew.

    Reply
    • jlcollinsnh says

      May 27, 2012 at 5:38 pm

      glad you found your way back!

      Reply
  7. financialblogger23 says

    March 20, 2014 at 4:39 pm

    Jim,

    You’re great story teller.

    Reply
  8. Cline Hall says

    March 23, 2014 at 6:46 am

    I had an illness in the late 70’s and early 80’s that caused me to use my student loan money to purchase a TR3A ( a lot of it in boxes), then I traded a perfectly good Pontiac for a Spitfire with the rocker panels completely rusted out because it looked so cool. Of course it had the identical self destructive engine as yours. Then, during my first job out of college I bought at TR6 with a credit card. (Still had TR3 in the yard not running) It broke in two one day while driving over a railroad track. I had paid 2300 for it, 400 in welding the frame back, and sold for $4500. I guess that financed my losses on the other two. Moral of the story, you need to buy a couple more Triumphs, kind of a dollar cost averaging thing. (What I learned in college with the rest of the student loan money)

    Reply
    • jlcollinsnh says

      April 10, 2014 at 3:34 pm

      “It broke in two one day while driving over a railroad track.” ROTFLMAO!

      That got coffee sprayed all over my keyboard!

      Too damn funny! And I’ll bet those reading who have never owned a Triumph (lucky devils) think you exaggerate. Ha!

      So, I should DCA into a couple more, you say? Mmmmm. Spoken like a man who has a couple to unload…

      Reply
  9. sean wallace says

    January 27, 2020 at 12:17 am

    What a great story!!! Back in the late 80’s I bought a Saab 900. Fuel pump failed within the same week purchased. Transmission failed after the fuel pump was replaced. All of this happened before I burned my first tank of gas.

    Reply
    • jlcollinsnh says

      January 29, 2020 at 12:46 pm

      Thanks Sean!

      An interesting tidbit…

      …your comment came in just as I was looking at a CL ad for a Saab 900. 🙂

      I used to have a 9-3 convertible.

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

The Simple Path to Wealth Book by JL Collins
The Simple Path to Wealth Book by jlcollinsnhThe Simple Path to Wealth Book by jlcollinsnh
Now Available on Audiobook!The Simple Path to Wealth Audiobook by JL Collins
www.TheSimplePathToWealth.com

Subscribe to New Posts

Follow JLCollinsNH on TwitterJLCollinsNH On Twitter

Important Resources

  • NewRetirement**
  • Recommended Credit Cards**
  • Personal Capital** or My Review
  • Tuft & Needle* or My Review
  • Betterment** or My Review
  • Republic Wireless** or My Review
  • Vanguard.com

*Tuft & Needle supports this site with their paid leaderboard ad. If you click on these ad it shows them the ads are working for them and that support will continue.

**These are affiliate links and should you chose to do business with them, this blog will earn a small commission.

  • Latest
  • Popular
  • Comments
  • Time to sell? Time to sell?
  • Gold Dust Mariah International: All that glitters…
  • Season’s Greetings!! Season’s Greetings!!
  • Volunteers who make it happen How to give when you have a business
  • Investing with Vanguard for Europeans: 2020 update Investing with Vanguard for Europeans: 2020 update
  • Part XVII-B: ETF vs. Mutual Fund — What’s the difference? Part XVII-B: ETF vs. Mutual Fund — What’s the difference?
  • Reviewing the comments on my post of April 1st Reviewing the comments on my post of April 1st
  • Today Week Month All
  • Why your house is a terrible investment Why your house is a terrible investment
  • Stocks — Part 1:  There’s a major market crash coming!!!!  and Dr. Lo can’t save you. Stocks -- Part 1: There's a major market crash coming!!!! and Dr. Lo can't save you.
  • How I failed my daughter and a simple path to wealth How I failed my daughter and a simple path to wealth
  • Stocks — Part VI:  Portfolio ideas to build and keep your wealth Stocks -- Part VI: Portfolio ideas to build and keep your wealth
  • Stocks — Part II:  The Market Always Goes Up Stocks -- Part II: The Market Always Goes Up
  • Why you need F-you money Why you need F-you money
  • Stocks — Part XVII: What if you can’t buy VTSAX? Or even Vanguard? Stocks — Part XVII: What if you can't buy VTSAX? Or even Vanguard?
  • Today Week Month All
  • Time to sell? Time to sell?
  • Stocks — Part IV:  The Big Ugly Event, Deflation and a bit on Inflation Stocks -- Part IV: The Big Ugly Event, Deflation and a bit on Inflation
  • Sleeping soundly thru a market crash: The Wasting Asset Retirement Model Sleeping soundly thru a market crash: The Wasting Asset Retirement Model
  • What we own and why we own it: 2018 What we own and why we own it: 2018
  • Investing with Vanguard for Europeans: 2020 update Investing with Vanguard for Europeans: 2020 update
Ajax spinner
Categories
  • Annual Louis Rukeyser Memorial Market Prediction Contest
  • Business
  • The Book: The Simple Path To Wealth
  • Cars and Motorcycles
  • Case Studies
  • Chautauqua
  • Education
  • Guest Posts
  • Homeownership
  • How I Lost Money in Real Estate before it was Fashionable
  • Life
  • Money
  • Q/A Posts
  • Random cool things that catch my eye
  • Stock Investing Series
  • Stuff I Recommend
  • Travels

Archives

  • ►2021 (2)
    • ►April(1)
      • Time to sell?
    • ►February(1)
      • Mariah International: All that glitters…
  • ►2020 (11)
    • ►December(1)
      • Season's Greetings!!
    • ►June(1)
      • How to give when you have a business
    • ►April(4)
      • Investing with Vanguard for Europeans: 2020 update
      • Part XVII-B: ETF vs. Mutual Fund -- What's the difference?
      • Reviewing the comments on my post of April 1st
      • Why I will no longer be writing this blog
    • ►March(4)
      • My move from VMMXX to VBTLX
      • COVID-19: The unvarnished truth from Doc G.
      • Chautauqua sits out 2020
      • Taking advantage of Mr. Bear
    • ►February(1)
      • Mr. Bear, Podcasts, a good book and why I should be in 100% stocks
  • ►2019 (11)
    • ►November(4)
      • How we bought our new car
      • The House Hacking Strategy
      • What does buying a new car really cost over the years?
      • Why we bought a brand new car
    • ►August(1)
      • A Guided Meditation for When the Stock Market Is Dropping
    • ►June(2)
      • 7 Days in Heaven: or Why Slowing Down Will Get You There Sooner
      • Quit Like a Millionaire
    • ►March(1)
      • Stocks -- Part XXXV: Investing for Seven Generations
    • ►February(1)
      • Chautauqua 2019 - UK & Portugal - Tickets Now Available
    • ►January(2)
      • Mr. Bogle passes
      • "I wanted the unreasonable"
  • ►2018 (16)
    • ►December(1)
      • Happy Holidays! and a bit on Mr. Market
    • ►November(3)
      • Truly Passive Real Estate Investing
      • Car Talk: An update on Steve and looking at Leafs
      • Chautauqua 2018 Greece: A week for the gods!
    • ►October(1)
      • On Twitter, gone for Chautauqua and dark on comments till November
    • ►September(2)
      • What we own and why we own it: 2018
      • Tuft & Needle: Our Walnut Frame and Mint Mattress
    • ►August(1)
      • Kibanda Part 5: Pretty, and pretty much done
    • ►June(3)
      • Stocks--Part XXXIV: How to unload your unwanted stocks and funds
      • Tracking your holdings
      • Stocks -- Part XXXIII: Optimism
    • ►May(2)
      • Kibanda Part 4: Quicksand!
      • My Talk at Google, Playing with FIRE and other Chautauqua connections
    • ►March(1)
      • Stocks -- Part XXXII: Why you should not be in the stock market
    • ►February(1)
      • Chautauqua 2018: Mt. Olympus, Greece
    • ►January(1)
      • An International Portfolio from The Escape Artist
  • ►2017 (15)
    • ►December(2)
      • The Bond Experiment: Return to VBTLX
      • How to Invest in Bitcoin like Benjamin Graham
    • ►October(1)
      • Kibanda Part 3: Running the numbers
    • ►September(1)
      • Sleeping soundly thru a market crash: The Wasting Asset Retirement Model
    • ►August(2)
      • Stocks -- Part XXXI: Too hot. Too cold. Not pure enough.
      • Kibanda, Part 2: Negotiating the deal
    • ►July(2)
      • Time Machine and the future returns for stocks
      • Kibanda: Mr. Anti-house buys his dream house
    • ►June(2)
      • Is there an interior designer in the house?
      • The Simple Path to Wealth goes Audio!
    • ►May(1)
      • Life on the Beach
    • ►April(1)
      • Sell! Sell!! Sell!!! Sell?
    • ►March(1)
      • Vicki comes to Chautauqua: United Kingdom
    • ►January(2)
      • Chautauqua - Ecuador 2017 open for reservations
      • Chautauqua - United Kingdom: August 2017
  • ►2016 (22)
    • ►December(3)
      • Season's Greetings and other cool stuff
      • Angel Investing, or Angel Philanthropy?
      • Mr. Bogle and me
    • ►November(1)
      • Where did you learn about money?
    • ►October(2)
      • Buy Your Freedom; Rent the Rest
      • So, what do you drive?
    • ►September(2)
      • Stocks -- Part XXX: jlcollinsnh vs. Vanguard
      • A visit to the Frugalwoods
    • ►August(1)
      • What the naysayers are missing
    • ►July(1)
      • Reviews of The Simple Path to Wealth; gone for summer
    • ►June(2)
      • The Simple Path to Wealth is now Published!
      • A peek into The Simple Path to Wealth
    • ►May(1)
      • It's better in the wind. Still.
    • ►April(3)
      • Cool things to check out while I'm gone
      • Stocks — Part XXIX: How to save money for college. Or not.
      • Help Wanted: The Book
    • ►March(1)
      • F-You Money: John Goodman v. jlcollinsnh
    • ►February(2)
      • Q&A - V: The Women of Amphissa
      • jlcollinsnh gets a new suit
    • ►January(3)
      • Chautauqua 2015 Reviews, 2016 registration open
      • Case Study #15: The Scavenger Life -- Freedom first, then Financial Independence
      • 3rd Annual (2015) Louis Rukeyser Memorial Market Prediction Contest results, and my forecast for 2016
  • ►2015 (18)
    • ►December(2)
      • Q&A - IV: Strawberry Patch
      • Seasons Greetings! and other cool stuff
    • ►October(2)
      • Personal Capital; and how to unload your unwanted stocks and funds
      • Stockchoker: A look back at what your investment might have been
    • ►September(2)
      • Case Study #14: To Dream the Impossible Dream (and then realize it)
      • Hotel Living
    • ►August(1)
      • Mr. Market's Wild Ride
    • ►June(4)
      • Gone for Summer, an important note on comments and random cool stuff that caught my eye
      • Around the world with an Aussie Biker
      • Case Study #13: The Power of Flexibility
      • Stocks — Part VIII: The 401(k), 403(b), TSP, IRA & Roth Buckets
    • ►March(2)
      • Stocks -- Part XXVIII: Debt - The Unacceptable Burden
      • Chautauqua October 2015: Times Two!
    • ►February(2)
      • YNAB: Best Place to Work Ever?
      • Case Study #12: Escaping a soul-crushing job before you're 70
    • ►January(3)
      • Case Study #11: John, a small business owner in transition
      • Trish and Stan take an Intrepid Sailing Voyage
      • 2014 Annual Louis Rukeyser Memorial Market Prediction Contest results, and my forecast for 2015
  • ►2014 (29)
    • ►December(2)
      • Diamonds and Happy Holidays!
      • Micro-Lending with Kiva
    • ►November(3)
      • Chautauqua February 7-14, 2015: Escape from Winter
      • Stocks -- Part XXVII: Why I Don’t Like Dollar Cost Averaging
      • Jack Bogle and the Presidential Medal of Freedom
    • ►October(3)
      • Tuft & Needle: A better path to sleep
      • Nightmare on Wall Street: Will the Blood Bath Continue?
      • Help Wanted
    • ►September(1)
      • Chautauqua 2014: Lightning strikes again!
    • ►August(2)
      • Stocks -- Part XXVI: Pulling the 4%
      • Stocks -- Part XXV: HSAs, more than just a way to pay your medical bills.
    • ►July(3)
      • Stocks -- Part XXIV: RMDs, the ugly surprise at the end of the tax-deferred rainbow
      • Summer travels, writing, reading and other amusements
      • Moto X, my new Republic Wireless Phone
    • ►June(1)
      • Stocks -- Part XXIII: Selecting your asset allocation
    • ►May(1)
      • Stocks -- Part XXII: Stepping away from REITs
    • ►April(3)
      • Q&A III: Vamos
      • Q&A II: Salamat
      • Q&A I: Gaijin Shogun
    • ►March(2)
      • Top 10 posts
      • Cafe No Se
    • ►February(4)
      • Chautauqua 2014 preview, closing up for travel and other random cool things that caught my eye of late.
      • Case Study #10: Should Josiah buy his parents a house?
      • Case Study #9: Lars -- maximizing some good fortune and considering "dollar cost averaging"
      • Case Study #8: Ron's mother - she's doin' all right!
    • ►January(4)
      • roundup: Some random cool things
      • Stocks — Part XXI: Investing with Vanguard for Europeans
      • Case Study #7: What it looks like when everything financial goes wrong
      • 1st Annual Louis Rukeyser Memorial Market Prediction Contest 2013 results, and my forecast for 2014
  • ►2013 (41)
    • ►December(4)
      • Closing up for the Holidays, see you in 2014
      • Betterment: a simpler path to wealth
      • Case Study 6: Helping an ill and elderly parent
      • Stocks -- Part XX: Early Retirement Withdrawal Strategies and Roth Conversion Ladders from a Mad Fientist
    • ►November(3)
      • Death, Taxes, Estate Plans, Probate and Prob8
      • Case Study #5: Zero to 2.6 million in 25 years
      • Case Study #4: Using the 4% rule and asset allocations.
    • ►October(3)
      • Republic Wireless and my $19 per month phone plan
      • Case Study #3: Let's get Tom to Latin America!
      • The Stock Series gets its own page
    • ►September(2)
      • Case Study #2: Joe -- off to a fast start!
      • Chautauqua 2013: A Week of Dreams
    • ►August(1)
      • Closing up shop plus an opening at Chautauqua, my new podcast, phone, book and other random cool stuff
    • ►July(1)
      • They Will Kill You For Your Shoes!
    • ►June(4)
      • Stocks -- Part VIII-b: Should you avoid your company's 401k?
      • Shilpan's Seven Habits to Live More with Less
      • Stocks -- Part XIX: How to think about money
      • My path for my kid -- the first 10 years
    • ►May(5)
      • Why your house is a terrible investment
      • Stocks — Part XVIII: Investing in a raging bull
      • Dining with the Ghosts of Sarah Bernhardt and Alfons Mucha
      • How we finally got the house sold
      • Stocks — Part XVII: What if you can't buy VTSAX? Or even Vanguard?
    • ►April(4)
      • Greetings from Prague & a computer question
      • Swimming with Tigers, a 2nd chance on the Chautauqua, a financial article gets it wrong and I'm off to Prague
      • Storage, Moving and Movers
      • Homeless, and a bit on the strategy of dollar cost averaging
    • ►March(4)
      • Wild Turkeys, Motorcycles, Dining Room Sets & Greed
      • Roots v. Wings: considering home ownership
      • How about that stock market?!
      • The Blog has New Clothes
    • ►February(5)
      • Meet Mr. Money Mustache, JD Roth, Cheryl Reed & me for a Chautauqua in Ecuador
      • High School Poetry, Carnival, cool ads and random pictures that caught my eye
      • Consignment Shops: Best business model ever?
      • Cafes
      • Stocks -- Part XVI: Index Funds are really just for lazy people, right?
    • ►January(5)
      • Social Security: How secure and when to take it
      • Fighting giraffes, surreal landscapes, dancing with unicorns and restoring a Vanagon
      • My plan for 2013
      • VITA, income taxes and the IRS
      • How to be a stock market guru and get on MSNBC
  • ►2012 (53)
    • ►December(6)
      • See you next year....until then: The Origin of Life, Life on Other Worlds, Mechanical Graveyards, Great Art, Alternative Lifestyles and Finding Freedom
      • Stocks -- Part XV: Target Retirement Funds, the simplest path to wealth of all
      • Stocks -- Part XIV: Deflation, the ugly escort of Depressions.
      • Stocks Part XIV: Deflation, the ugly escort of Depressions.
      • Stocks -- Part XIII: The 4% rule, withdrawal rates and how much can I spend anyway?
      • How I learned to stop worrying about the Fiscal Cliff and you can too.
    • ►November(2)
      • Rent v. owning: A couple of case studies in Ecuador
      • So, what does a month in Ecuador cost anyway?
    • ►October(4)
      • See you in December....
      • Meet me in Ecuador?
      • The Podcast: You can hear me now.
      • Stocks -- Part XII: Bonds
    • ►September(6)
      • Stocks -- Part XI: International Funds
      • The Smoother Path to Wealth
      • Case Study #I: Putting the Simple Path to Wealth into Action
      • Tales of Bolivia: Calle de las Brujas
      • Stocks -- Part X: What if Vanguard gets Nuked?
      • Travels in South America: It was the best of times....
    • ►August(1)
      • Home again
    • ►June(4)
      • Yellow Fever, closing up shop for the summer and heading to Peru y Bolivia
      • I could not have said it better myself...
      • Stocks -- Part IX: Why I don't like investment advisors
      • Happy Birthday, jlcollinsnh; and thanks for the gift Mr. MM!
    • ►May(6)
      • Stocks -- Part VIII: The 401K, 403b, TSP, IRA & Roth Buckets
      • Mr. Money Mustache
      • The College Conundrum
      • Stocks -- Part VII: Can everyone really retire a millionaire?
      • Stocks -- Part VI: Portfolio ideas to build and keep your wealth
      • Stocks -- Part V: Keeping it simple, considerations and tools
    • ►April(6)
      • Stocks -- Part IV: The Big Ugly Event, Deflation and a bit on Inflation
      • Stocks -- Part III: Most people lose money in the market.
      • Stocks -- Part II: The Market Always Goes Up
      • Stocks -- Part 1: There's a major market crash coming!!!! and Dr. Lo can't save you.
      • You can eat my Vindaloo, mega lottery, Blondie, Noa, Israel Kamakawiwo 'Ole, art, film and a ride on the Space Shuttle
      • Where in the world are you?
    • ►March(7)
      • How I lost money in real estate before it was fashionable, Part V: Sold! and the taxman cometh.
      • How I lost money in real estate before it was fashionable, Part IV: I become a Landlord.
      • How I lost money in real estate before it was fashionable, Part III: The Battle is Joined.
      • How I lost money in real estate before it was fashionable, Part II: The Limits of the Law.
      • How I lost money in real estate before it was fashionable, Part I: Impossibly Naive.
      • You, too, can be conned
      • Armageddon and the value of practical skills
    • ►February(6)
      • Rent v. Owning Your Home, opportunity cost and running some numbers
      • The Casanova Kid, a Shit Knife, a Good Book, Having No Regrets, Dark Matter and a bit of Magic
      • What Poker, Basketball and Mike Whitaker taught me about Luck
      • How to Give like a Billionaire
      • Go ahead, make my day
      • Muk Finds Success in Tahiti
    • ►January(5)
      • Travels with "Esperando un Camino"
      • Beanie Babies, Naked Barbie, American Pickers and Old Coots
      • Selling the House and Adventures in Staging
      • The bashing of Index Funds, Jack Bogle and a Jedi dog trick
      • Magic Beans
  • ►2011 (22)
    • ►December(1)
      • Dividend Growth Investing
    • ►November(2)
      • The Mummy's head, Particle Physics and "Knocking on Heaven's Door"
      • "It's Better in the Wind" or why I ride a motorcycle
    • ►October(1)
      • Lazy Days and School Days
    • ►July(2)
      • The road to Zanzibar sometimes goes thru Ecuador...
      • Johnny wins the lotto and heads to Paris
    • ►June(16)
      • Chainsaws, Elm Trees and paying for College
      • Stuff I’ve failed at: the early years
      • Snatching Victory from the Jaws of Defeat
      • The. Worst. Used. Car. Ever.
      • Top Ten reasons your future is so bright it hurts my eyes to look at it
      • The Most Dangerous Words Your Customer Can Say
      • How not to drown in The Sea of Assholes
      • What we own and why we own it
      • The Ten Sales Commandments
      • My ever so formal and oh so dry CV
      • How I failed my daughter and a simple path to wealth
      • The Myth of Motivation
      • Why you need F-you money
      • My short attention span
      • Why I can’t pick winning stocks, and you can’t either
      • The Monk and the Minister
Blogroll
  • Can I Retire Yet?
  • ChooseFI
  • Go Curry Cracker
  • Fiology
  • Mad Fientist
  • Millennial Revolution
  • Mr. Money Mustache
  • The Power of Thrift

As Seen On

JLCollinsnh - As Seen On

See more interviews, videos and podcasts featuring jlcollinsnh

© Copyright 2020 jlcollinsnh.comPrivacy Policy

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.