Summary Sunday for March 18th, 2018

A request to start this post – you may think upon first opening these articles – or even reading the title – that “this doesn’t apply to me!” Read them anyway. Just because a post was written for a particular audience doesn’t mean it doesn’t have good nuggets of information that are more widely applicable. The first and third easily apply to, well, everybody. The second is a little more narrowly applicable to people interested in living outside the US, but that’s still a lot larger group than the audience it was aimed at originally. Trust me, everybody can take something away from at least one of these posts.

No One Else Cares About Your Money

ReachingForFI – March 8, 2018

Erin, the author of this blog, is a friend of mine and a fellow DC Money Nerd. Sometimes she thinks she is way behind when it comes to money stuff (and yes I know you are reading this!) but really, she’s doing a great job – especially for someone as young as she is.

But she thinks differently about her money than anybody else does. That’s because it’s her money. It’s just like how I don’t care about your investment returns, even though I care a lot about my own. As it should be!

Erin has some great lines in here. If you also worry about how others perceive your finances, take a look at these thoughts:

But even if it were possible to somehow be in possession of all of the financial knowledge in the world, no one can implement it for you. It’s up to you to take charge.”

“I’ll walk past an expensive car and wonder if someone can actually afford it or if they’re actually drowning in debt. But ultimately I don’t care, and half a second later the thought’s vanished as I continue about my day.”

Expat Military Retiree Profile: Living in Ubon Ratchathani, Thailand

Poppin’ Smoke – March 10, 2018

This one isn’t just for military members! Have you considered living overseas, either in retirement or not? If so, this series is for you.

Stephanie at Poppin’ Smoke is interviewing military retirees who have retired overseas. This is a great way to get information on cost and standard of living, healthcare, and other concerns you may have about living overseas. For instance, I’m intrigued by the comment about foreigners being held responsible for car accidents. It makes sense, in a weird way.

I don’t plan to become an expat when I retire, but I am looking forward to traveling for long (month-plus) periods. These kinds of posts are great for learning what to expect.

How A Bank Error In My Favor Earned Me $100,000 and I Got To Keep It. Really.

Minafi – February 19, 2018

I’m not actually posting this to show you how Adam from Minafi got $100,000 he wasn’t expecting. Instead, take this as a lesson in what to expect when someone you love passes away.

In the midst of all the anguish, there are a lot of legal tasks that have to be accomplished. A lot of people don’t realize this until they are in the middle of it. With that in mind, it’s good to learn a little about these things now, rather than when you are overcome with grief. You may find thinking about what happens when people die morbid, but speaking from experience – I’d much rather figure this stuff out now so that my brain (and heart) don’t have to be bothered by it when they have more important things to do.

Have you found any great personal finance articles this week? Post them in the comments!