Don't Quit Your Day Job…

I know, this is a topic we here at DQYDJ have covered before… specifically back on July 2nd, 2009 when gas was averaging the incredible price of $2.63.  This specific article was inspired by the recent comeback gas prices have made – gas today average $3.33 a gallon nationwide, according to Fuel Gauge Report from AAA.  However, today we’re going to give you the opportunity to calculate what it would take for you to hedge your gas prices with our nifty gas price hedging calculator!

Maybe it’s better if you haven’t checked it since like, say, 2007… but if you habitually check your 401(k) balance you may notice something – it has come charging back since the doldrums of the last few years. According to this article on CNNMoney, it’s not only your account which is happily recovering – 401(k) balances are at a record high… and the average 401(k) balance now stands at $71,500. Last years average? A mere $64,200, so contributions and returns have raised the average balance 11.5%!

Wow, a new leaf has been turned over! We here at DQYDJ submitted articles to carnivals 2 weeks in a row! This week, go check out the 297th edition of the Personal Finance Carnival at Money Smart Life. There you’ll see Cameron’s article “Skill Based Inequality Due to Technology” in the Economics section

In this article, Cameron Daniels explains that the small decrease in poverty levels from 13.3% to 12.8% from 1967 to 2003 (36 years!) is not so bad as it initially seems as Simpson’s Paradox rears his ugly head.

Recently, the Revolution was Televised (and I’m not talking about Egypt) – a computer built by engineers at IBM defeated the greatest champions that Jeopardy has ever seen – handily. Instead of predictions of the apocalypse, instead there has just been muted commentary on where the technology inside Watson will lead us in the near future – and what other more practical jobs (unless you’re a trivia expert, Jeopardy! probably isn’t that similar to your job) the technology can assist or replace. So, are you worried?

Guess what, we here at DQYDJ actually submitted to a blog carnival this last week! I know it’s been a while, but it seemed like a good idea with a freshly written personal finance article, “USNews Chimes in with some ‘Radical’ Tips!” Without further ado, please visit the 295th Carnival of Personal Finance… and note we made it into Pride’s category, the mother of all sins! Thanks Taking Charge!

Many debates revolve around the fact that both within group skill levels (as in amongst high school graduates or college graduates, for example) and between group skill levels (comparing high school to college graduates) income disparity has been increasing. This fact has been politicized many times and is used as a catch-all method to support almost any policy: why we need more of a welfare state, why we need less of a welfare state or a higher minimum wage, why we need more funding (or less) for public education, why we need higher or lower taxes, more progressive taxes, et cetera. I am not going to speculate on the need to change this trend or its best method but simply to offer an explanation… Most large socioeconomic phenomena such as these do not have a single solution, so consider this article to contain one of many explanations.

I read an interesting article the other day hosted on Yahoo! Finance. Entitled “Four Radical Strategies to Retire Sooner”, it breaks down three radical strategies, and one not so radical idea for saving enough money to retire earlier. Of course, if any of these strategies could be implemented during retirement, you could also use them to save some money once you’re actively drawing down your funds. So, here’s a summary and some comments on the article!