JLCollinsnh

The Simple Path to Wealth

  • Stock Series
  • Homeownership
  • Case Studies
  • Stuff I recommend
  • Books
  • Interviews
  • About

UraniumC

Please note:  UraniumC now has its own website:  http://uraniumc.wordpress.com/

It never really fit here and it has started to grow its own following.  All future updates and posts will be added over there.  Meanwhile, the entry below will remain so newcomers can check it out and decide if they want to click over. 

Thanks,

JC

Shortly after launching this blog I was contacted by an old friend from my days taking down diseased elm trees over 30 years ago.  He has begun to share with me a rather fantastic story.  One I’ve only recently come to believe.  I think.  Namely that he has spent over 524 years aboard a deserted alien ship as the human representative.  This ship was/is tasked with the responsibility of protecting Earth from intergalactic invaders.  I know.  It took me a long time to digest this as well.

He wishes to remain anonymous and has asked to be called UraniumC, UC for short.  I’m not sure what, if any significance this name has.

UC was a country boy from south Alabama and about 24 years old when I first met him.  His education ended before he reached the 8th grade.  At the time, I don’t believe he could read or write, at least not in more than the most basic sense.

He was lean and tough and a good guy to have your back in a bar fight.  I know because on more than a few occasions he had mine.  A good friend to have at the time but a man of, being charitable, modest intelligence.

Even at a young age his body showed signs of a rough life.  Several teeth had been knocked out over the years and his nose had been broken.  He had three gunshot and two knife wounds on his torso.  Several more knife scars on his arms and one across his left cheek.

His life was spent taking down trees, drinking and fighting.  He had a wife in Alabama and a girlfriend up in Chicagow where we met and worked together.  He was a man of appetites but no imagination.  This is one of the reasons I’ve come to (maybe) believe his story.

I have no idea how he found me again after all these years and he won’t say.  But he did ask that I publish his story on my blog and, having heard a little bit of it I agreed.  This may be a mistake.  It has certainly turned into more of a task than I bargained for.

His writing is crude and riddled with grammatical and spelling errors.  I have tried my best to be a good editor and to reformat it in to more readable prose.  This is a task for which I have no training or experience so please don’t hold my shortcomings against him.

Since this is proving to require extensive rewriting of what he provides, as I finish each entry he reviews it before publication here to make sure I’ve still got the facts correct.  It may, at times, come to read as my “voice” but it is entirely his tale.

Each time he sends me new material I will edit and post it below.  Or maybe on a newly created blog.  Or maybe not at all.  I’m not entirely sure I’m up for this.  Or that I want to be associated with what is, let’s face it, a wacky story.  But I’m intrigued mostly because I just can’t envision this guy, with his modest intelligence and minimal education, being able to make this stuff up.  We’ll see.

June 21, 2011

Entry #1

My time aboard the alien ship

By UraniumC as told to JC

(JC note:  the task of editing and preparing this material from UC’s original has proven more difficult than I imagined.  His writing is so crude and unclear that it has taken multiple revisions for me just to accurately convey what he means to say.  He has, finally, approved the entry below)

Some years ago I was transported on to an alien ship.  It was over 1/2 a billion years old and built by the first and so far most sophisticated intelligent race in our galaxy.

They had long since occupied the entire Milky Way galaxy and governed all its civilizations quietly behind the scenes.  Including ours.

They insured that only peaceful worlds made the transition to interstellar travel.  Those that did pledged not to interfere with those still bound to their home planets.

This race had long since passed on beyond the physical realm, but they left behind their amazing self-renewing ships.  These guarded the Milky Way from the many fierce and warlike species seeking to expand beyond their own galaxies.

Earth, like each inhabited planet, has its own intergalactic guardian ship.  These ships were tasked with detecting, intercepting and disabling the invading fleets.

An unshakeable rule is that each of these guardian ships is required to take on board a single individual from the planet they were charged to protect.

In so far as I can tell, the selection of this individual is random.  At least I was never able to tell why I was chosen.

My tour of duty, so to speak, was 524 years, 8 months, 17 days, 2 hours, 43 minutes, 54 seconds and on down to unfathomablely smaller units of time.  While a very odd number to me, it corresponded to a logically round number for them.

Time being an entirely different thing in the depths of space; to my earth bound existence I was gone less than the blink of an eye.  Yet I retain all the memories of those journeys.  At least as well as anyone can be expect to recall the memories of 500 + years.

Entry #2

June 22, 2011

Questions

By UraniumC as told to JC

(JC note: as part of the process of preparing Entry #1 some questions were raised.  Here they are with UC’s answers.  I’m still not sure how far I’m willing  to take this, but I’m interested in hearing more myself.  Plus, I owe him.)

Question:  So are these battles with the invading aliens the strange lights people report seeing in the skies?

UraniumC: Those “battles” take place far from earth in the void between galaxies, The GS (guardian ships) intercept invaders long before they get close. So the ships have never been seen from earth.

Even if they had, those of us on the surface would only have seen the invasion fleets. Every GS is permanently ‘cloaked’ and completely undetectable.

As another point of interest, they are also unarmed. At least in the conventional sense. However they have “transporters’ for lack of a better term. Their word for this has no equivalent in any of our languages.

Oh, and those ‘UFOs?’ Hoaxes almost every one. Earth is routinely visited by the friendly beings from around our own Milky Way. But this is only permitted to those able to develop the technology to insure their observations go undetected. Mistakes in this are exceedingly rare.

Question:  If they are unarmed how do they stop the invaders?  How are these battles fought?  Do the GS always win?

UraniumC: Yes, always.  The technology this original race built into the GS fleet is several orders of magnitude beyond anything else yet seen. That’s why I put ‘battles’ in quotes. This is nothing like the science fiction of books and movies. Nothing that dramatic.

Most often, the invaders were completely unaware of the GS at all.

In each case, there were basically three options:

1. The invading force could simply be destroyed. Most often this was accomplished by simply transporting the hulls of their ships a fraction of a millimeter out from the frames. The void of space did the rest.
2. The ships could be stranded in the void between the galaxies. Unharmed but unable to move at faster than sub light speeds. All this took was isolating a small but critical and irreplaceable part of their drive systems and transporting it out. Most frequently this was so subtlety done as to prevent them from ever even diagnosing the problem.
3. The last option is much the same as #2 but in this case leaving them enough propulsive power to return to their home worlds. This is the most common choice.

The role of the guest representative is to decide which of these options to use. For me, it was the hardest of all duties.

Question:  Since these beings are so much more advanced than we are, why don’t they help us with all our problems here on Earth?  How could they care enough to protect us from invaders and yet not care enough to help here?  Global peace, for instance.

UraniumC:  Helping us out here on our own planet is strictly forbidden. Each world is protected from the hostile outside universe but has the obligation and privilege to guide its own destiny.

If you care to comment or would like to suggest a question to ask,

please just click on the circle at the top right corner of this post.

Important Resources

  • Talent Stacker is a resource that I learned about through my work with Jonathan and Brad at ChooseFI, and first heard about Salesforce as a career option in an episode where we featured Bradley Rice on the Podcast. In that episode, Bradley shared how he reached FI quickly thanks to his huge paychecks and discipline in keeping his expenses low. Jonathan teamed up with Bradley to build Talent Stacker, and they have helped more than 1,000 students from all walks of life complete the program and land jobs like clockwork, earning double or even triple their old salaries using a Salesforce certification to break into a no-code tech career.
  • 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.
  • 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
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Vanguard.com

Comments

  1. Malachi Rempen says

    June 21, 2011 at 4:46 am

    Very interesting! Probably most interesting because of the clear battle going on here between baffled skepticism and helping a pal out.

    I’m maintaining a healthy double-dose of skepticism as well, but opportunities like this don’t come around very often, so while we’re asking questions: it seems like helping us out by preventing our destruction by other aliens is interfering just as much as helping us out to prevent our destruction by ourselves. So, WHY is it strictly forbidden? Why go sneakily around in the shadows?

    I really liked your no-nonsense money post, as well. Really helpful!

    Reply
  2. jlcollinsnh says

    June 21, 2011 at 10:24 am

    Hey Malachi….

    great to see you here. hope you’ll be a regular. are you still a film maker?

    I’ll pose your question to UC. He touched on it already above but perhaps more elaboration would be interesting.

    You are right. I’ve always thought this UFO stuff was hoohy. so this has me unsettled a bit.

    Which of the money posts?

    Reply
  3. Erik Rempen says

    June 23, 2011 at 1:54 pm

    This is really interesting, it’s not improbable at all, Advanced technology is only unfathomable because we’ve never seen it. The iPod would baffle anyone 50 years ago. Interesting that the race that created these things are no longer physical, not unlike Isaac Asimov’s Multivax story. I would love to hear more details!

    Reply
    • jlcollinsnh says

      June 23, 2011 at 3:13 pm

      Hi Erik….

      glad to see you here but all future notes on this will be here: http://uraniumc.wordpress.com/

      I agree with you on the preception of techology and, in fact, one of the things I am most interested in is the ship itself. I’m in the process of communicating with UC on this and hope to have something pulled together on it.

      I’ve also be asking for more info on the aliens themselves. Furstratingly, it seems they shared little in the ships records about themselves. “Not an area of interest” for them. but some interesting tidbits have come to light.

      I haven’t read Multivax but will check it out. I have read Asimov and remember liking his stuff but that was many years ago.

      Cheers,

      JC

      Reply
  4. Mr. Risky Startup says

    May 29, 2012 at 6:10 pm

    Wow. Your blog is awesome, but this is like cherry on top! I love it!

    Reply
    • jlcollinsnh says

      May 29, 2012 at 9:59 pm

      Thanks Mr. Risky. Have you made your way over to the dedicated UC blog?

      Anyway, if you’ve read thru this you’ll note that I am very much on the fence as too what to do with all this. It keeps nagging at me….

      Reply
      • Mr. Risky Startup says

        May 29, 2012 at 10:52 pm

        Indeed. I have read each post twice, that’s how much I like it. Some things are so quirky that they pass into the realm of beautiful. Truth, science, motivations – they all become unimportant.

        I know that some people read this stuff and try to evaluate the facts versus fiction, but if you use the microscope to admire Mona Lisa, all you will see is a bunch of random dots. This story on its own would sound like a rambling of a lunatic, but with the context that you provide, it turns into something great.

        If you decide to write a book, complete with the background story of UC’s life and your part in it, I would be first to buy it. If UC is not a fictional character himself, you can write it as a biography, and if he is, a novel (but please don’t tell us if he is real or not, that would ruin the magic).

        Thank you again. Your blog is a rare gift to the world, and now you doubled up.

        Reply
        • jlcollinsnh says

          May 29, 2012 at 11:57 pm

          Wow. That is high praise indeed, especially coming from someone with your depth of life experience. Thank you.

          Very motivating in terms of turning my attention to it again at some point. Although right now all this increased activity on the blog is keeping me busy. I am, after all, supposed to be retired.

          In a couple of weeks I am returning to South America. We’ll see what new developments that brings if any. And I’ll tell him you’re wondering if he’s real.

          A book is a very interesting idea. If I do continue it will likely be with further posts here. When done, maybe I could pull them together in book format.

          Reply
  5. Kevin Kane says

    June 15, 2013 at 11:08 pm

    Hello JC,

    I’m a long-time reader of your blog but I just read the above Uranium C entries.

    Pretty wild story! Maybe Uranium C read some science fiction that prompted him with these ideas?

    Well anyway, do as you wish with it of course, but I love your “regular” blog posts so please keep those up too!

    Reply
    • jlcollinsnh says

      June 17, 2013 at 10:08 pm

      Hi Kevin…

      Always nice to hear from a long-time reader!

      I keep meaning to take this UraniumC page down. My note books from talking to him sit on the shelf mocking me. Yet, when I return to Ecuador later this year I will again be spending time with him.

      Your comment about science fiction is part of the problem. On many occasions I said to him reading those notes it seems like exactly that, and bad science fiction to boot.

      He just laughs. He doesn’t care and has only shared this stuff with me confident that no one will believe it anyway. Hiding in plain site if you will.

      That works for him, but if I go forward with it I’ll be the one branded as the crank.

      Maybe when the “regular” blog has run its course…

      Reply
      • WFS says

        June 18, 2013 at 9:48 am

        Hi Jim,

        I really enjoy your blog and, so far, have taken it as a credible source of financial and even personal guidance.

        While I absolutely support helping out a friend and being open minded, stumbling on this page seriously brings questions of doubt about you being a credible source.

        I’ve worked in a disabiliy law firm in downtown Boston- I’ve seen a handful of clients that dress completely normal, speak well, and make you wonder why they are living in the homeless shelter. And then as soon as you’re done chatting with him about the Patriots game, he casually talks about how the government inserted tracking chips in every persons’ forearm and agents monitor our every move. However, he wears a magnet bracelet and it jumbles the signals so he is off the grid for right now, but they have sent spies into Boston for him. Meanwhile, we’re filling out forms so he can get a SSA check for $1,400 a month as his only income.

        Point of story is, people can appear normal, believe they are normal, and in reality have incredible psychological, emotional, and mental problems with hugely skewed realities.

        Who am I to say this guy can’t blog about his ideas and who am I to deny existence of life outside of our planet?

        However, I truly feel you’re shooting yourself in the foot by keeping these rants posted on an otherwise reputable blog.

        I’m only adding my 2 cents for the improvement of the blog- I’ll continue to be an active reader on the posts that warrant attention. Keep up the good work and thank you for your time and effort into this site.

        Reply
        • Jonathan says

          November 14, 2013 at 1:54 pm

          I agree with WFS. It may seem unfair, but the presence of this alien spaceship stuff on your website makes it more difficult to take your advice on financial matters.

          Reply
          • Stu says

            December 6, 2013 at 1:15 pm

            I think WFS and Jonathan have undersized imaginations and a skewed sense of credibility. There are two possible reasons this page exists:
            Either the story is true* and then it’s really too fantastic not to share in some form, or Jim is just an amateur science fiction writer testing his ideas in front of an unsuspecting audience, in which case I applaud his gumption and creative use of the financial blog medium. How you draw a connection between this and someone’s credibility in the financial world, or as rudely as WFS did, to someone with a serious mental issue says more about you than anyone else.

            *as in this is Jim’s friends words, not that the aliens are real, though I wouldn’t rule that out out of principle

          • jlcollinsnh says

            December 6, 2013 at 1:35 pm

            Thanks Stu…

            I appreciate your support.

            As for my credibility, either my financial ideas will stand the test of careful scrutiny or they will not.

            For what it is worth, so far more people have asked me to expand upon UC than have suggested I take it down.

  6. PFHC says

    October 7, 2015 at 2:50 am

    Awesome. Your financial stuff is enlightening, entertaining, and sound. I spread it everywhere.

    But this. Oh dear, this. This is why I am quite certain I would deeply enjoy having a fermented beverage with you somewhere exciting.

    Sincerely,
    PFHC, marine engineer by day, former English major, poet, absurdist, and sci-fi fan by night.

    Reply
    • jlcollinsnh says

      October 7, 2015 at 11:55 am

      Thank you kind sir.

      If nothing else, UC keeps people questioning my financial ideas. Always a good thing.

      I am almost always up for a fermented or caffeinated beverage in exciting locales. As long as by “exciting” you don’t mean people shooting at me. 😉

      You can explain to me how an English major became a marine engineer and what kind of PFHC you are:

      –Parkinson Foundation of Harris County (Houston, TX)
      –Power Factor Harmonic Current
      –Phoenix Family Housing Corporation (Kansas City, MO)
      –Professional Foundation for Health Care (Tampa, FL)
      –Other

      Reply
  7. PFHC says

    October 7, 2015 at 4:23 pm

    PFHC: http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/welcome-to-the-forum/what's-in-a-name-username-meaning-discussion-thread/msg795481/#msg795481

    The story of my trip from English Major to Marine Engineer is one that is best told over above mentioned beverage. To paraphrase, I came to the conclusion as a wandering 24 year old that it is best to work at what I’m good at (for me, fixing absolutely anything) and make a dear hobby out of what I love (creating, especially writing).

    There’s a lot more to the story, including several Jack Kerouac books, a wanderlust and thirst for adventure, a three year flurry of writing poetry, more than several soul-searing nights alone on a mountain, and on and on.

    It all culminated shortly after I had put a drill bit through my finger in a meeting about how to make money as a writer.

    If you’re curious about marine engineering, here: http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/share-your-badassity/perhaps-the-single-most-mustachian-job-ever/msg791769/#msg791769

    Reply
    • jlcollinsnh says

      October 7, 2015 at 7:28 pm

      Very cool sounding job. And one that would have suited my temperament, except I can’t fix anything.

      But I enjoy talking to those who can. If on one of your shore leaves you find yourself in NH, look me up.

      Reply
      • PFHC says

        October 7, 2015 at 8:36 pm

        Thanks. 🙂

        I’ll be in NH hiking the Presidentials from Nov. 6 – 8. Not sure how to look you up. Maybe you have access to my email?

        Reply
  8. PFHC says

    October 8, 2015 at 10:05 pm

    I’ve been wondering what OC did for entertainment all those 500 years. And what about that most basic of needs, human contact? Especially of the sexual nature.

    Also, since he’s been back on earth with no responsibilities, does he experience the need to contribute in a larger way? And what about those invaders? Does he feel remorse for having wiped out hordes of them? How does he come to terms with that?

    Reply
    • jlcollinsnh says

      October 8, 2015 at 10:19 pm

      please post this on the UC blog and when/if I return to telling that story I’ll try to find out for you.

      Reply
  9. Tommy Tenney says

    February 2, 2016 at 11:59 pm

    Love it. So those that pan it are bloody fools imo. Both my oldest son and I read good sci-fi and just might believe UC’s tale to boot. 🙂
    Kudos!

    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

Important Resources

  • Talent Stacker or My Review
  • Recommended Credit Cards
  • Personal Capital or My Review
  • Betterment or My Review
  • NewRetirement
  • Tuft & Needle or My Review
  • Vanguard.com

More Helpful Links

  • My Manifesto
  • Financial Calculators
  • Ask Jlcollinsnh

Subscribe to New Posts

Follow JLCollinsNH on TwitterJLCollinsNH On Twitter

  • Latest
  • Popular
  • Comments
  • When Your Country Becomes a Global Outcast When Your Country Becomes a Global Outcast
  • Staying the Course in War-Time Staying the Course in War-Time
  • Pathfinders update from Hh Pathfinders update from Hh
  • A New Chapter for Chautauqua A New Chapter for Chautauqua
  • Season’s Greetings!! Season’s Greetings!!
  • Fun with numbers: Historic Stock Market Returns Fun with numbers: Historic Stock Market Returns
  • Let’s talk about what’s up with Bonds, and what ever else you’d like to ask me Let’s talk about what’s up with Bonds, and what ever else you’d like to ask me
  • Today Week Month All
  • 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.
  • Why your house is a terrible investment Why your house is a terrible investment
  • 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 V:    Keeping it simple, considerations and tools Stocks -- Part V: Keeping it simple, considerations and tools
  • Today Week Month All
  • When Your Country Becomes a Global Outcast When Your Country Becomes a Global Outcast
  • Staying the Course in War-Time Staying the Course in War-Time
  • How I failed my daughter and a simple path to wealth How I failed my daughter and a simple path to wealth
  • VITA, income taxes and the IRS VITA, income taxes and the IRS
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

  • ► 2023 (3)
    • ► January (3)
      • When Your Country Becomes a Global Outcast
      • Staying the Course in War-Time
      • Pathfinders update from Hh
  • ► 2022 (12)
    • ► December (3)
      • A New Chapter for Chautauqua
      • Season's Greetings!!
      • Fun with numbers: Historic Stock Market Returns
    • ► October (1)
      • Let’s talk about what’s up with Bonds, and what ever else you’d like to ask me
    • ► August (1)
      • The Price of Security
    • ► July (1)
      • Case Study #17: Buying into the market right before a Bear
    • ► June (1)
      • Case Study #16: Helping dad with an inheritance
    • ► May (1)
      • Just inked a contract for my next book, and I want you to be a part of it!
    • ► April (1)
      • The Dinky Diner
    • ► March (1)
      • Chautauqua: A terrible business model
    • ► February (2)
      • Chautauqua is back for 2022!
      • JLCollinsnh.com Enters New Era
  • ► 2021 (14)
    • ► December (1)
      • Season's Greetings!!
    • ► November (2)
      • The new book is out!
      • Are bonds done?
    • ► October (1)
      • Guess what I just finally read for the first time...
    • ► September (1)
      • The negligence that led me to DIY investing
    • ► August (3)
      • Chainsaws and Credit Cards
      • Part XXXVI: Estate Planning 101 -- The Simple Path to an Estate Plan
      • The Simple Path to a Lucrative Career
    • ► July (1)
      • Help Wanted: a new book
    • ► June (1)
      • The Top 9 (Bad) Arguments Against Bitcoin
    • ► May (2)
      • Collins on Crypto
      • The Alfred Hitchcock Path to FI
    • ► 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

© Copyright 2022 jlcollinsnh.com Privacy Policy Disclaimers