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Len Penzo dot Com

The offbeat personal finance blog for responsible people.

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100 Words On: When High Car Insurance Deductibles Make Sense

By Len Penzo

While most people strive to keep their car insurance deductibles as low as possible, the downside is those deductibles result in higher premiums. But for folks who drive limited miles, safe motorists, and those who drive older vehicles that have lost ...

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October 25, 2018

100 Words On: The Best Time to Start a New Business

By Len Penzo

It's not unusual for budding entrepreneurs to fret over the best time to start a new business, especially during economic downturns when even the most self-assured impresarios often become paralyzed with doubt. They shouldn't. After all, there are ...

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October 11, 2018

100 Words On: The Real Reason Why Drive-Up ATMs Have Braille Keypads

By Len Penzo

One of life's greatest so-called mysteries is why American drive-up automated teller machine keypads have Braille on them. On the surface it seems to be a preposterous notion. After all, the logic goes, blind people can't drive; but who says only a ...

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May 10, 2018

100 Words On: Why Raising the Minimum Wage Won’t Make You Wealthier

By Len Penzo

When governments interfere with the free market by raising the minimum wage, prices for everything naturally reset to accommodate that wage; it doesn't matter if the hourly minimum wage is $15, $20, $25 -- or even $1. Think about it; if raising the ...

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August 31, 2017

100 Words On: When Financial Perfection Is the Enemy of Good

By Len Penzo

When it comes to matters of personal finance, trying to find the optimal solution can be counterproductive simply because many decisions don't require extensive research. One of the best examples of this is when comparison shopping for a certain ...

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March 23, 2017

100 Words On: The Trouble With Whole Life Insurance (vs. Term)

By Len Penzo

The key difference between term and whole life insurance is simple. Term life pays the face amount of the policy in the event of your death, while whole life combines a term policy with an added investment component. Yes, whole life may sound like a ...

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February 16, 2017

100 Words On: Why Excessive Debt Leads to Indentured Servitude

By Len Penzo

Taking on excessive debt -- and continuously spending more than you earn -- greatly reduces the wealth you can accumulate down the road. As a result, your options in the future become greatly diminished because you are essentially spending tomorrow's ...

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January 19, 2017

100 Words On: Why You Should Never Ever Fear Credit Cards

By Len Penzo

Credit cards provide a safe and convenient avenue for short-term borrowing. When used wisely and responsibly, credit cards provide valuable benefits that cash simply can't including consumer protections, cash dividends and other rewards. They can ...

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December 22, 2016

100 Words On: Why a Penny Saved Is More Than a Penny Earned

By Len Penzo

I think it was the Quaker Oats guy who famously declared that a penny saved is a penny earned. However, because of taxes, a penny saved is actually worth more than a penny earned. To illustrate, if you happen to be in the 10% tax bracket, every taxed ...

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December 1, 2016

100 Words On: The True Meaning of Christmas

By Brian K. Walters

In today's day and time, It's easy to lose sight, Of the true meaning of Christmas And one special night. When we go shopping, We say 'How much will it cost?' Then the true meaning of Christmas, Somehow becomes lost. Amidst the tinsel, ...

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December 17, 2015

100 Words On: How Smart People Make High Risk Ventures Pay Off

By Len Penzo

Risk and reward are inextricably intertwined. Of course, the richest rewards come to those who are willing to take the biggest risks. The oft-forgotten corollary to that strategy is that, by its very nature, high risk endeavors also have a greater ...

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December 20, 2012

100 Words On: A Grim Warning to Those Who Think Money Grows On Trees

By Len Penzo

A democracy can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves largesse from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates promising the most benefits from the treasury, with the result ...

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November 8, 2012

100 Words On: Saving Your Lame Excuses for Somebody Who Cares

By Len Penzo

A wise man once said that excuses are tools of incompetence, only useful for building monuments of nothingness and bridges to nowhere. When it comes to personal finance, there are a countless number of excuses that people often use to explain why the ...

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October 18, 2012

100 Words On: How to Avoid Burning Out

By Len Penzo

It takes real drive to turn our biggest dreams into reality, but sometimes the relentless passion that fuels our inevitable push for success becomes counterproductive. When personal expectations finally exceed what we can reasonably achieve on our ...

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October 4, 2012

100 Words On: Why Having an Upside Down Mortgage Ain’t All Bad

By Len Penzo

One of the biggest fears many homeowners have is waking up one day and discovering that they owe more on the mortgage than their house is actually worth. While that may be trouble for those who absolutely positively have to move, it's really no big ...

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January 5, 2012

100 Words On: Why My Dog Is Worth Every Penny I’ve Spent On Him

By Len Penzo

Earlier this month our Rhodesian Ridgeback, Major -- that's him there in the picture -- celebrated his 8th birthday. Over that time, we've spent a little over $6500 on him -- not counting the $1500 the Honeybee and I paid for him way back in 2003. ...

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June 23, 2011

100 Words On: So … How Do You Like My New Blog Layout? Me Either.

By Len Penzo

So how do you like the new setup? Yeah, I know. It sucks. In case you're wondering, about 10 days ago my website got a case of the WordPress flu and the bug eventually decimated my site so badly that I was forced to do a complete reinstall on ...

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April 21, 2011

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