CFL Fact Sheet - Good info on how to dispose of a broken CFL since they do contain mercury. More CFL Info

On Clinton and Lobbyists - Lessig eloquently expresses elements of my dislike for Hillary. She is part of the institution of corruption and I think this ‘business as usual’ mindset is crippling our nation on just about every issue. Historically, you tend to see a cycle of stability, corruption and revolution within society. This cycle frequency has been extended lately as politicians/marketeers have learned to make people more dormant and lethargic. Clinton is part of the institution (which she cleverly labels as ‘experienced’) that has me so outraged.

What Really Buys Happiness? - Income inequality vs mobility and opportunity.

The Crossover Point - A good read about what should probably be your financial goal: Independence. Read the article and the comments have some links to spreadsheets that you can work with to figure out your crossover point. If you want to do it yourself so you can adjust the numbers how you want, here is what I did.

I have 6 columns in a spreadsheet:
1) Years Away - 0 thru 30 or you can do Age if you want.
2) Income- This year’s income and then a calculated 3% raise a year (a1 * 1.03 and drag down the column)
3) Expenses - I calculated at 85% of income - adjust accordingly.
4) Savings - Income minus expenses or Income * .15
5) Investment Sum - I used 9% return (adjust accordingly). I entered my starting savings in the first cell and for the second entered the (previous Investment Sum + 1.09) + current savings. For Instance Cell E8’s formula looks like =(E7*1.09) + D8
6) Investment Return = Investment Sum * .09

Now watch the Age/Years Away for Investment Return surpasses Expense and Income. You can adjust your savings rate to see how much you need to save per year until you reach finanical independence. Very cool!

Update: Or you can just visit WhatsMyCrossover.