Want money advice that you can actually understand? So much money advice ignores who we are, our background, our values, and our emotions. I’ll show you how to be in better control of your money every week, even if you’re just starting out.
💸 The financial story of your year
Hey pal,
I’m sure you’re as excited as I am about Monday, January 29, 2024. In case you didn’t know the significance of that date, it’s when the IRS will officially start accepting completed tax returns here in the US. Thrilling, I know.
Even if you won’t be filing your returns as soon as they are accepted, I just wanted to send a note to remind you that getting started sooner rather than later would be a nice thing to do for your future self.
While filing your return may feel like an annoying formality, the act of getting your numbers together is an opportunity for you to understand your financial story of the last year. This is especially important for freelancers, self-employed folks, and those of you running your own business.
The language of business is numbers. And when you begin to understand the story of your business through this language, you begin to understand the ways in which you have the power to change that narrative.
My bookkeeping agency, Hell Yeah, Bookkeeping has been helping creative business owners understand the story of their company through their numbers since 2015. If you’re looking for bookkeeping help in 2024 and beyond, please consider us. You can reach out by replying to this email or by completing this form.
Your friend,
1. 🤑 Debunking Frugality Myths with Jen Smith and Jill Sirianni (Weird Finance) In this episode of Weird Finance, Paco unpacks the hottest new personal finance trend of loud budgeting with frugality experts Jen Smith and Jill Sirianni from the Frugal Friends podcast (@frugalfriendspodcast).
2. 📊 It’s okay to be optimistic about the economy next year (Vox) A recession didn’t come in 2023 and it might not in 2024, either.
3. 🔊 How to cut costs, pay down debt and save more money in 2024 (NPR)
4. 🤓 A bookkeeping thing - Why Outsourcing Your Bookkeeping Will Save You Money (HYG Original)
5. 👛 Are You Falling Prey to Lifestyle Creep? Here's How to Tell and What to Do About It (The Hell Yeah Group)
6. 🥤 It’s Just a Water Bottle (The Atlantic) No one can truly explain the Stanley cup. “Humans by nature turn objects into meaning, and consumerism is the process by which that impulse is commodified by middlemen looking to ascribe that meaning to particular things in order to sell your identity or values or group affinity or sense of community back to you.”
7. 💰 7 Months Inside an Online Scam Labor Camp (The New York Times) A man was abducted by a Chinese gang and forced to work in a scam operation. He gathered financial information, photos and videos and shared the material with The New York Times.
8. 🚸 Why America Hates Its Children (Business Insider) Kids are worse off in America than in any other rich country. It's by design. “At root, we must overthrow the persistent delusion of rugged individualism — the perverse American mythology that everyone must fend for themselves, no matter the cost. To raise children with the care and comfort they deserve, we must learn to think of ourselves in concert with others. We must, in short, nurture the ideal of community that America's policies have worked to tear apart.”
If you have a question you’d like me to answer on the Weird Finance podcast, you can leave me a voicemail at 1-833-ASK-PACO. You can also email me your question by replying to this email or emailing us at weirdfinancepod@gmail.com.
The Nerdletter by Paco de Leon
Want money advice that you can actually understand? So much money advice ignores who we are, our background, our values, and our emotions. I’ll show you how to be in better control of your money every week, even if you’re just starting out.
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