Philip Brewer
I write science fiction and fantasy stories.
I also write about personal finance and frugality for Wise Bread.
I speak Esperanto, and use it to communicate internationally. Esperantistoj, legu mian esperantan hejmpaĝon.
Personal finance articles (at Wise Bread)- Interesting stuff
Tag Archives: money
What was privacy?
I had the great good fortune to learn early on that anything posted to the internet is there forever. That knowledge has guided my internet activities for twenty-five years now, and keeping it perpetually in mind has stood me good … Continue reading
Reducing poverty
I’m big on reducing poverty, both locally and globally. (I do worry that more rich people will use more resources, suggesting that reducing poverty isn’t an unalloyed good thing. On yet another hand, only rich people can afford things like … Continue reading
Interviewed on Navigating Your Money
Mike Tierney of the Navigating Your Money podcast interviewed me last week and has already put the show up. Listen to me natter on about frugal living here: Episode #19: Live Like You Have More, On Less I haven’t actually … Continue reading
Posted in Economics, Media, News
Tagged interviews, mentions, money, my work, Wise Bread
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Dancing on the edge of the fiscal cliff
The tea-party right was willing to risk the hard stop in spending that would have resulted from running up against the debt limit—a game of chicken that neither the Democrats nor the sane fraction of the Republicans could take the … Continue reading
Posted in Economics, News, Policy
Tagged financial disaster stories, fiscal cliff, government, government spending, money, public policy, public services, taxes
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Success at the Bike Project!
Jackie and I made good use of the Bike Project last week. I’m not quite sure how to describe the Bike Project. Let’s try this: It’s a group of people and a collection of tools, using space in the Independent … Continue reading
I’ll be interviewed on Rudy Maxa’s World tomorrow
I’m going to be interviewed on Rudy Maxa’s World (America’s #1 Travel Radio Show) tomorrow (Saturday, May 19th). I’ll be on at 11:43 Eastern time for five minutes. If you want to hear me talk, you can: Listen to the … Continue reading
Accurate but useless
Some years back, I read a financial newsletter article that offered a technique for predicting inflation rates six months in advance. It had charts that compared its predictions to actual results, that showed that it was pretty accurate. Not perfect, … Continue reading
SLF Older Writers Grant
My first impulse, when I see something like the Speculative Literature Foundation’s Older Writers Grant, is to share it with everybody. Then I immediately have a counter impulse: I should keep it to myself! Why go out of my way … Continue reading
The politics of providing services
In many places with repressive governments, nascent political parties (unable to achieve political power via the ballot box, because elections are rigged or the group is banned from participating) provide public services as an organizing tactic. They provide food for … Continue reading
Bought new boots
I don’t hate shopping. I sometimes say I do, but it’s an inaccurate shorthand. What I hate are a cluster of things inextricably intertwined with shopping. I hate driving from store to store. I hate the mall. I hate agonizing … Continue reading