At orientation before I left for Japan someone asked a question about the exchange rate between Japan and the U.S. The person who answered the question said that we – the people leaving for Japan – were lucky since the yen was doing so well against the dollar. I politely smiled and nodded my head [...]
Archive | August, 2009
Avoiding the Desire to Spend the First Paycheck
Last week was a momentous occasion in my “adult life” as I received my first paycheck as a salaried employee in my first job out of college. My previous job was an hourly rate and the amount of hours fluctuated drastically from one week to the next. This created a lot of unnecessary worry and [...]
Get the Money Snowball Rolling
Many college grads are starting jobs and receiving a real paycheck for the first time in their lives. However, many have no idea what to do with their money and find themselves wishing they knew how to properly save for future goals, pay off debt, and enjoy their hard-earned cash. The first step to turning [...]
Paid to Travel the World and Other Reasons Teaching English Abroad Has Taken Off
An old friend from high school recently contacted me and asked for advice and information on teaching English abroad, or ESL (English as a Second Language). One sentence in her message caused me to take a second and think: “for some reason teaching abroad seems to be very popular lately” I had never thought about [...]
The Simplified Savings Approach
My financial system in America was a bit hectic. With multiple bank, savings, and investment accounts I felt like I was failing to automate my financial life. I’d learned a lot about personal finance over the past year, but I always struggled to simplify my accounts. As soon as I found out I would be [...]
The Japansese Post Office – Savings and Mail?
Transitioning my life to Japan has been something I didn’t have to do in 2007. I was a student and only here for two months so I was more of a temporary visitor. However, now that I work here I need everything a normal citizen would have, minus the jet black hair. Bank account, insurance, [...]
Japanese Change: Weighing Down My Pockets Since 2009
I was an avid credit card user in America. I had two main cards and signed up for a third before I left for Japan. I always paid the minimum and used them solely for organizational purposes and rewards. I loved putting a majority of my purchases on my credit card so that I could [...]
Welcome to FF!
Hi, my name's Austin Morgan. I teach English in Japan and write about money for twenty-somethings. Feel free to contact me with any questions and I hope you enjoy the site!
