The Baker Blog

Chloe the Gator

Chad — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 18:08:41 +0000

A day at the Food and Wine Festival

Chad — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 18:30:07 +0000

Ashley, Eddie, Jill and Chris dragged Jenn and I to the Samuel Adams beer tasting at the Food and Wine Festival.

Chloe at 4 months

Chad — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 19:27:48 +0000

Here’s a picture of Chloe from today …

Our puppy

Chad — Sat, 03 May 2008 21:24:23 +0000

The newest member of the family is a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. Her name has yet to be determined …

A day at The History Center

Chad — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 22:04:01 +0000

This past weekend, Jenn and I made a trip to The History Center in downtown Orlando. We planned on going a while back to see the exhibit that featured toys of the past (and present). We didn’t know about the video games exhibit until we got there. Lots of fun.

The path to personal finance super-stardom

Chad — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 02:25:36 +0000

Jenn and I have been putting together a financial plan over the past few months and, in doing so, have found a handful of great resources on the subject of personal finance. We even went so far as to read “Smart Couples Finish Rich” by David Bach to each other during the evenings and on weekends in order to establish some common ground in our approach to money. While there are still a few disagreements on the details, the big picture is solid and should let us retire from our working lives sometime in the distant future (along with achieving some other major goals that require greenbacks).

The Book

Smart Couples Finish Rich, by David Bach (2002)
This book is broken down into nine “steps” that David thinks all couples should follow in creating a financial plan to “finish rich”. From identifying the role of money in your life to setting up the various savings “baskets” (retirement, security, and dream), these steps ask you to commit yourself now to the type of life you want to have in the future. In some cases, you’re asked to participate in the activities that David - a financial planner by day - goes through with his clients. It’s these activities that are most useful in getting the ball rolling if it’s not already.

The book is a little old at this point, so I’d recommend his latest version, “Start Late, Finish Rich”, which was published in 2007. From other reviews on the web, each of the books in the “Finish Rich” series contain basically the same information, so I wouldn’t worry too much about the title unless your still in your 20s.

Personal Finance Sites

Notes:

At Morningstar, check out the free “Investing Classrom” courses
David Bach and Ben Stein are regular contributors to Yahoo! Finance
529 plans can be used for post-graduate education expenses, too.

Personal Finance Blogs

“Around the World” 5K

Chad — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 22:52:10 +0000

Tomorrow morning, at 7am, Jenn and I will be going “around the world” at Epcot.

No, we won’t be stopping in Mexico for a margarita. Nor will we be doing sake bombs in Japan. Instead, we’ll be fighting FOR the kidney in the 9th Annual National Kidney Foundation 5K Run/Walk for Organ and Tissue Donation Awareness.

Assuming the picture above doesn’t mean it’s going to be raining in the morning, we should be done before 8am and home before 9am. That’s earlier than we get up on most Saturday mornings. To top it off, we’ve got a bowling charity event in the evening for the Disney VoluntEars program. I think it’s goal is to raise money for Give Kids the World, but unlike the morning 5K, beer is definitely on the menu.

FYI … My goal for the 5K - 27:00

UPDATE: Well, the rain ended early in the morning and the race went off as scheduled. Jenn and I both set personal bests for a 5K, although I didn’t quite get down to my goal. Here are our times …

Chad: 27:34
Jenn: 37:56

Trivia: A page from my Mensa 2008 calendar

Chad — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 19:01:44 +0000

If anyone’s out there, I think the folks at Page-a-Day Online Calendars might have the answer to this one wrong. It’s the first time this year that I’ve needed confirmation, but let me know what you think. I’ll post their answer and mine tomorrow.

In your top drawer are two pairs of gloves in white and three pairs in black all the same because you like the style. How many gloves must you take out (without looking) to guarantee a matched pair?

If you’ve never had one of these calendars you should put one on your Christmas list. When you buy a desk calendar by the same company, you get a free online calendar, too.

Looking Back: Cabbage Key

Chad — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 02:20:08 +0000

A few years ago, Jenn and I decided to get away for a long weekend on Captiva Island on the Gulf Coast of Florida. While we were there, we took a short cruise ride over to Cabbage Key, the place that inspired Jimmy Buffet’s song, “Cheeseburger in Paradise”. While waiting for the boat to take us back to Captiva, Jenn found the above sign quite humorous (or was that me).

Looking Back: Puerto Rico

Chad — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 03:09:36 +0000

In 2005, Jenn and I had a trip to Key West planned but were forced to cancel due to another hurricane. After searching through various travel sites, we quickly planned a trip to Puerto Rico and ended up having a wonderful time. Puerto Rico is one of the more photogenic places I’ve ever been and there’s an infinite number of things to see and do around the island.