Track Your Money (Part 1)

An American Problem?

I need to talk to you about an endemic problem afflicting many Americans…. the problem associated with tracking money. No, I am not talking about tracking money that finances terrorism or organized crime. I am talking about the need to track your money.

When I first published this article back in 2017, I cited an April 2014 Business Insider article that reported 61% of US adults did not track their money. That was only six years after the financial meltdown of 2008. At the time I thought that was pretty damning, but not surprising. Fast forward to 2025, after the post-COVID cost of living crisis, and those numbers reversed. A May 2025 report from Secure Data Recovery showed that 59% of Americans tracked their spending and 49% tracked savings. That’s a healthy turnaround, but it came with a kicker. Apparently 70% of the people who tracked their spending said it caused them stress.

As someone who has tracked their money religiously for the past 26 years, I can attest it takes time and discipline, which in and of itself can be stressful. I can also attest that sometimes the results don’t show what you want, which again may prove stress inducing. But that’s no reason for not partaking in the effort, though. I say that because I firmly believe that the insight gained from tracking your money is like a personal finance superpower.

Continue reading →

The Pension Series (Part 5): Survivorship (Updated)

Posted on 16-January-18 by Grumpus

Substantive Correction

This is an updated version to my article originally posted 04 October 2017. This version includes a substantive correction. The previous version of the article failed to accurately describe all the calculations required when comparing a pension with an inflation-linked Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) to life insurance. I noticed my omission today and reworked the affected paragraphs. I also took the opportunity to clean up some grammar. You will see substantive changes noted in red text. I believe the changes make the comparisons between life insurance and survivorship more competitive.

The incomplete calculations I described in the previous version of my article appeared weighted towards survivorship. That was not my intent. Since the intent of the article changed, and I believe in full disclosure with my readers; I felt this mistake warranted a revision with new publish date.

This is a first for me in the blogging sphere, although in the military we routinely strive for this level of transparency when an official report, memorandum, or instruction contains a major mistake. The primary purpose for issuing a correction is to prevent anyone from acting on erroneous information. It’s also important that the historical record reflect accurate information. I’ve decided to hold myself to the same standard on this blog.

As a result, I advise anyone who read and used the methods described in the previous version of this article to read this update and adjust your calculations accordingly. While I apologize for the inconvenience, and always strive for 100% accuracy in my articles; I would remind everyone I’m not a professional. Nor am I considering your case specifically. No matter how comfortable you are with your retirement numbers and plan; it’s always best to run your them by a professional like a fee-only Certified Financial Planner who adheres to the fiduciary standard. Again my apologies.

KJH, we honor the fallen in the Grumpus Maximus family.

Death Sucks

In late Summer 2003, a member of my unit and one of its seasoned mentors was killed in the early days of the Insurgency in Iraq. We were both part of a tight-knit group of young officers that worked and played hard. While I would not have called him a close friend, many in our group did, and I often sought advice and guidance from him. His death was a blow to everyone in our group and the unit as a whole. Nothing was the same after it. Most of us were not prepared mentally and we all took it personally. Each of us dealt with his death in our own way, and I am sad to say it splintered the group in ways I never could’ve foreseen. Continue reading →

The Reluctant Financial Voyeur

Posted on 04-September-17 by Grumpus

Foreclosure From The Great Recession

Over the past two work weeks, I helped financially counsel a fellow officer whose residual financial issues from the Great Recession stood to impact his career. There we were, almost 10 years from the start of the downturn, looking at foreclosure documents starting in 2009. He’d only settled the foreclosure within the last year, and the DoD wanted answers. In some ways, I could hardly believe it. In other ways, it was a sobering reminder about the lasting impact that event will have on American society for years, possibly generations, to come.

It also proved an interesting glimpse into another financial way a life. I found a life almost alien to mine because decades ago my fellow officer chose to build wealth through rental properties. Despite my personal negative history with a 2004 property purchase (as related previously on this blog), I hold no ill will for those who choose property investment as a method for building wealth. If it works for them, that’s great. However, my comrade-in-arms had specifically chosen a highly leveraged method for acquiring rental properties. As I questioned him on the simple details that he should’ve known from using this strategy, I quickly realized he lacked the acumen for it.

Continue reading →