Tour de Personal Finance, Stage 2, Posts 31-34

• If I Had a Million Dollars, I’d Go Into Debt (Debt): What would I do if I won a million dollars? This post describes how I’d invest every last penny, scrutinizing tax benefits, risk, returns, real estate, and why I would go into debt — yes, I would go into debt — if I were a millionaire. And don’t just take my word for it: Einstein backs me up, and so does third-world poverty theory. Read this post to find out more.

• Do the Amish Pay Taxes? (Taxes): There is a lot of controversy and confusion surrounding the Amish and their tax payments. This is in part because they use some public services without paying for the consumption taxes that fund those services because their consumption habits are much different from the average American’s. Honestly, could you imagine a horse and buggy pulling through a highway toll booth, or an Amish person gambling in a casino? 

• Invest in Both Fitness and Finances (Fitness): Your health is a much more important investment than your personal finance life.  Learn how to master both and you’re set for life!

• Building a Better Blog (Blogging): My online life started with finding the wide world of personal finance blogging and starting my first blog.  Building up a blog is what brings advertisers knocking on your virtual door and it gives credibility for other online ventures like staff writing.  Here is how I built up my site as quickly as possible. 

Today was the Team Time Trial in the 2011 Tour de France. This is a special event because viewers get to watch a group of 10 riders power through at 55 kph around a course in flashy skin-suits and $12,000 bikes. Nice right?!


It is also a cool event because it tends to have a pretty significant impact on the outcome of the overall Tour de France race. In today’s race, the US based Garmin-Cervelo team won the stage and placed sprinter/overall hard-man Thor Husovd in the yellow jersey!


Of the favorites for overall victory at the end of the 3 week bike race, the best placed riders are Andy and Frank Schleck, Cadel Evans, and Bradley Wiggins. Alberto Contador is over a minute back. However, he is such a good climber that he’ll most likely be able to recover most of this lost time when the mountains start.