Author Archives: Chris Pascale

About Chris Pascale

Christopher Pascale is an author, accountant, and professor from Long Island. His first book War Poems: A Marine's Tour 2003-2008 can be found at your local library, or purchased at Barnes & Noble, Amazon or Books-A-Million.

Pensionable Careers: Fed vs. Military Benefits (Part 1)

Posted on by
5

A Word from the Publisher

This post is the first of a two-parter from longtime friend of the blog Chris Pascale. Chris was a US Marine who served in Iraq in the mid-2000s but is now a US federal employee. If you want to know more about him, you can read his short bio at the end of the blog post.

Chris is also a published poet!

Chris writes here in a private capacity, which is good because he has several strong but fact-based opinions on which pathway (federal or military) provides the better retirement benefits value proposition from a “worth vs. worth it“ perspective. I emphasize the term pathway because judging the worthiness of a pensionable career should be more than just an examination of the retirement benefits provided. It should also consider the pros and cons one will experience while working towards those benefits during their career, which is what Chris does.

In that light, Chris clearly believes the federal path is the better one. That’s a critical view to represent since I spend so much time on this blog talking about the advantages of my military retirement benefits. That isn’t to say that Chris doesn’t support those making a career in the military; he simply believes the career and retirement benefits should be more equitable. The remainder of this article and the next explain why. Take it away, Chris! Continue reading →

Worth vs. Worth It: Homeownership

Posted on by
19
A Word From The Editor

Guest post time! This article is another from friend of the blog, Chris Pascale. Never one to shy away from the controversial money topics, Chris takes on the homeownership versus renting debate. He does this by comparing the running costs of homeownership to renting over decades. In doing so, Chris concludes that while owning the property in which you live is usually a money-losing proposition, it’s a vastly smaller money-losing proposition than renting. Therefore, since we all have to live somewhere, owning is the most efficient use of one’s housing money.

Chris’s cost comparison methods are vastly different from my opportunity cost method, which determined my first home’s $750K opportunity cost. While I focused on what my down payment money could have been doing, Chris concentrates on the housing option with the least cost associated with it over time. Mine was very much a “property as investment” argument, while he makes a “most bang for the smallest buck” argument. Same topic, different points of view. We value differences of opinion at GM HQ, especially when backed up by numbers. That’s a royal “we” since GM HQ is still a one-man show.

Financial Independence (FI) enthusiasts who like to optimize their financial decisions for efficiency may find Chris’s homeownership argument particularly persuasive. Where FI adherents often look for the financial option with the 1% better outcome, Chris’s analysis shows that owning creates financial savings with a much higher order of magnitude. Not only that, but he presents his findings in a much more concise manner than I ever could.

Golden Albatross readers will recognize Chris’s “worth vs. worth it” argument as well. He’s good at relating his Life & Money articles to the basic value proposition this blog is built upon. For Chris, homeownership is very much “worth it.” So, with that introduction out of the way, sit back and enjoy the read. As always, the words are his, but the pictures and comments are my attempt to provide some levity!

   — GM Continue reading →

Guest Post: How to Optimally Ruin All Your Plans

Posted on by
5
A Message From Your Sponsor

This post is the latest in a series from friend of the blog, Chris Pascale. While his previous posts were mostly about the often strange intersection between life and money, this one is about fiscal planning.  Specifically, it’s about how your plans need to change to remain relevant when confronted with new circumstances. It’s a theme that fits in particularly well with this blog for several reasons: Continue reading →

A Guest “Worth vs. Worth It” Post: Is It Worth Your Life?

Posted on by
20
Is Your Crap Really Worth It? By “It” I Mean Your Life

I was at an estate sale. Among the hundreds of cups and glasses, I bought a dozen for $3.

Inside the house, passing a glass-encased wall display of ceramic dolls, I went to the basement. It was wall to wall hardcover popular novels – read once and then occupying shelves beyond the owner’s death. I wouldn’t buy them for a quarter, and the library wouldn’t take them for free. At $20 retail, there was at least $10,000 worth of purchases.

Leaving the basement and seeing more commemorative glass sets for sports teams and other themes, I saw that this was a theme – whatever they had, they had a lot of.

All of it cost money, and each purchase was a trade-off that initially appeared to be cash for a Stephen King book, a New York Mets beer stein, and a fourth coffee maker. Continue reading →

Worth vs. Worth It: Stretching Out The Family Van

Posted on by
7
Guest Post Time!

Howdy Folks! Friend of the blog, Chris Pascale, slipped me this article a few weeks ago to tide everyone over until I get another break from my master’s program. He took my Worth vs. Worth It decision process (which I developed for the pension decision and showcase in The Golden Albatross book) and applied it to his decision to replace his family’s van. Whereas my original article explained the theory, this post shows you the math. It’s a quick and easy read that will help you the next time you consider buying a car. It was worth my time to publish, and I believe it’s worth your time to read it.

— Grumpus Maximus Continue reading →

Making Bold Adjustments

Posted on by
8

Hey folks! I hope everyone is staying safe and sane out there during the COVID-19 pandemic. Grumpus Familias is safely ensconced at our new home in Nelson, New Zealand. We love the place despite the nationwide COVID-19 lockdown. I attached a picture of the snow-capped mountains of Mordor that we can see from the hill we live on as proof.

Bold Adjustments

However, more on life in NZ in future posts, because I have another great guest post to share from Chris Pascale. Today’s topic is Making Bold Adjustments which fits perfectly as a subject for this blog. I hope you agree.

In case you’re a new reader, or just don’t remember, Chris is a Marine Corps veteran, a friend of the blog, and also an author. In addition to that, he helped me BIG time by editing my forthcoming book, The Golden Albatross, which I’m happy to announce that ChooseFI Media will publish in June! Stay tuned for more announcements soon.

Bold Adjustments

Concept art from the book! It’s so close to release, I can smell that new book smell.

Back to saying great thing about Chris, though! He is interested in many of the same things I am like personal finance, pension hacking, and family time. Yet, he looks at things differently than me, which means he always has a fresh angle or new topic in mind for the blog. You can check out his other guest posts by going to the Article Index. One more thing, as with all other guest posts on the blog, I supplied the pictures, captions, and what hopefully passes as comic relief.

OK, Chris, take it away …. Continue reading →

Guest Post: Worth vs. “Worth It” Meets Value Purchasing

Posted on by
13

A Grumpus Introduction

Chris Pascale is back with another guest post. For those of you who don’t remember, Chris wrote both the Golden Albatrosses Killed Your Golden Goose and the Cut the Cord, Drop the Albatross  posts. Those articles continue to earn comments and clicks, which for anyone running a blog (like yours truly) is a good thing. In today’s article, Chris takes time to explain the concept of Value Purchasing, as well as reveal some of the purchases he and his wife either make, or don’t, based on their values.

Chris placed his short biography at the end of this article, and I’m sure he’d appreciate it if you checked out his other work. I personally recommend his poetry book called War Poems: A Marine’s Tour 2003-2008. It addresses many of the same issues I touched on in my pre-retirement and mental health article. With all of that out of the way, I’m turning the remainder of this article over to Chris. My inputs from here on out are limited to the pictures and captions. Enjoy! Continue reading →

Cut the Cord, Drop the Albatross 

Posted on by
10

Chris is Back with Another Guest Post

Greetings again everyone. I’m in the final throws of editing my book, and as such, I haven’t found time to write any new posts. However, I’m close to what I hope is a final product, which means I’ll return to blogging at regular intervals soon!

In the meantime, Chris Pascale threw me (another) solid and wrote (another) awesome guest post. This one chronicles his and his wife’s efforts to teach their kids useful life and financial lessons. All I managed to do was to add pictures and (somewhat) funny captions. Continue reading →

Golden Albatrosses Killed Your Golden Goose

Posted on by
7

No Birds Were Hurt In The Making of This Post

Wondering where I’ve been lately? Well, I’ve taken advantage of some post-operative convalescent leave to concentrate on finishing my book. As a result, I haven’t spent any time writing new content for the blog. Fortunately, though, Chris Pascale saved the day and offered to write a guest post for this month. Chris is a published author, father, husband, accountant, teacher, and former U.S. Marine (although I’ve been informed there’s no such thing as a former Marine). He’s also a big fan and friend of the blog.

Chris reached out to me last year (2018) after he heard my interview on the ChooseFI podcast. He believed we had a lot in common including military service, money issues, and PTS. To prove it, he sent me a copy of his most recent book of published poetry called War Poems: A Marine’s Tour 2003-2008. Continue reading →