Category Archives: Finance

It’s a Cheap, Cheap, Cheap, Cheap World

By Jonathan | Published December 15, 2011

You know that old cliché saying that’s usually attributed to somebody’s grandpa? It goes something like this: “Used to be people understood the value of a dollar.” I’d like to update that saying a little bit for our modern age. Try this on: “It used to be people understood the [...]

The Myth of Money Motivation

By Jonathan | Published November 28, 2011

I’ll never forget the moment I heard those words. I was sitting in the back row, at a sales training seminar. I had already made up my mind that I was in the wrong place, training for the wrong job. But I had not yet found the courage to be [...]

Why Micro-stock Mega-sucks

By Jonathan | Published April 7, 2010

I have been submitting my photos to Shutterstock.com for four years now. In a month I will close my account with them and never submit another photo again. Here’s why; sometime over the next few weeks I expect to finally crawl over the minimum payout threshold of $75. I do [...]

How Sweet It Is To Be Owned By ME!

By Jonathan | Published April 6, 2010

Today marks the first week that I have transitioned away from my 9-5 job into working for myself. My life has become a lot less secure. I do not know how much money I will have next week. I am not even sure if I will make any money at [...]

Free Credit Card Icon Pack

By Jonathan | Published October 18, 2009

When needed some new credit card icons for The Limelight Shop, I was surprised to find that what was available online really wasn’t all that good. The options ranged from cheesy and outdated, to way to fancy to be professional. I just needed something in between. I wanted nice looking [...]

I Am Ugly, Stupid and Broke, Anything Helps

By Jonathan | Published February 3, 2009

Now that I have your attention, I will confess that this article is not about me. Though I have been called ugly and stupid, I have never taken such characterizations too seriously. Though not without my fair share of insecurities, I have never felt myself to be ugly, and while [...]

Being Kind Because You Can, You Can Afford It

By Jonathan | Published June 5, 2008

When you walk down the street and get stopped by a panhandler, what do you do? If you are like most people, you rush by as quickly as possible, avoiding eye contact. You don’t feel that person deserves any of your money, but you’re slightly embarrassed at your unwillingness to [...]

How To Stop Living Paycheck to Paycheck

By Jonathan | Published May 22, 2008

Living paycheck to paycheck is no fun, but with the exception of a lucky few born into privilege we have all done it at some point, or several points in our lives. Unfortunately a lot of us get so used to living that way that we come to view it [...]

Credit Cards Are Not the Devil

By Jonathan | Published January 23, 2008

Some people have an irrational fear of credit cards. They are firmly convinced that these little bits of plastic are somehow possessed by the devil himself. The reasoning is that because credit cards can lead people into trouble that the cards themselves are the problem. Obviously this is not true. [...]

Debt Is a Prison, Don’t Get a Life Sentence

By Jonathan | Published January 22, 2008

In June 2007, exactly seven months ago, I was in debt to the tune of $15,000. That may not sound like much, but consider that my annual after tax income as a recent broadcasting school graduate, working in retail while looking for a “real” job, was a meagre $13,000. That [...]