My Priorities on Buying a Car

Personal Finance Week 19 Assignment

This week, I was to write 200 words on my priories when buying a car. I won’t be able to drive for another 2 years, but it is still important to think ahead.

Here are some of the things I value most in a car:

Price: This is one of the biggest considerations for me. I don’t really want to blow a bunch of unnessesary money on a new car, when a used one would be almost as good, for a lot less cash. Some used cars may even be more reliable than cheap new cars, because cars are becoming very cheaply made.

Reliability: This is also a very important one to consider. If the car initially costs 4 thousand, it may not seem like much. But you have to realize that it may not be very durable, and you may end up paying another 4 thousand (or more!) in repairs!

Gas efficiency: Another consideration that is not to be overlooked! In my situation, it would not make sense at all to buy a gas-guzzling SUV. I’m thinking about a hybrid, as they are much more gas-efficient.

Price Depreciation: A small but still important thing to consider. Price depreciation is when the price of a car goes down over time. Now, I’m not thinking I’m going to get some supercar that keeps its value well. All cars go down in value dramatically, but some more than others. SUVs and electric cars often have higher depreciation than other ones.

Conclusion

My priority is to find a gas-efficient used car that is reliable yet low in price. All I really need in a car is something that can drive me around without costing too much or needing lots of repairs. In next week’s assignment, I will find out what car make and model would be best for me.

Another Announcement

I’m looking for a new name for my current blog. Riding the Riptide is good, but it doesn’t really fit my style of blog. So if anyone has any ideas, please comment on this post.

P.S. I didn’t forget that I said I would start another blog! I’m almost ready, it will probably be done by Friday March 14th! I’ll give more info then in another post.

Taxes Taxes Taxes!

Personal Finance Week 18 Assignment

Well you can probably guess at what this assignment is about! *sigh* Yep, taxes! I’ll be writing my 200 words this week on: What method of preparing my taxes would I choose and why.

There are a few different methods, and I’ll cover the pros and cons of each one and then pick which one I would prefer.

1. IRS Paper Form

Pros:

If you choose to file your taxes the old-fashioned way, you have more control over your results. It is also more secure. It also can be cheaper than hiring a professional.

Cons:

It can be time consuming and tedious!

2. Tax Software (example: TurboTax):

Pros:

It is more simple than the other options.

Cons:

Depending on the tax software you are using, it may not offer all of the options you are looking for. It also may not be as private or secure.

3. Hiring a Tax Professional

Pros:

You have someone who does taxes for a living, so they have lots of experience. They are more time-saving than filing your taxes alone.

Cons:

More expensive than the other options.

Okay, I’ve listed the 3 main ways you can do taxes, and I have to go with the first one. Why? Simply because I don’t have much taxes to file! At my age and income level, the tax form will be very simple for me to fill out. It wouldn’t make sense to hire a professional just to do a very simple form. So when that time does come for me to do those taxes(and I’m guessing it will be sooner than I think 🙁), I’ll be ready!

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Mar, 2025
grayscale photography of train tank

U.S. Industrial Revolution

8G History Week 18 Assignment

In this weeks assignment, I will not only be covering the Industrial Revolution, but also briefly highlighting John D. Rockefeller, an entrepreneur I learned about this week.

The Industrial Revolution was a period in history when many new technological discoveries emerged, and factories became much more widespread. It started in Britain, and spread throughout Europe, and it reached the United States in the late 1700s.

The Industrial Revolution brought lots of benefits, as food and clothing were now mass-produced, so the standard of living went up, and resources were much cheaper. But there were problems too. The artisan workers had good business before the Industrial Revolution, but now they had to compete with the major factories, which sometimes put them out of business.

Here are some of the major inventions during the Industrial Revolution.

  • Steam Engine
  • Mechanical Loom
  • Cotton Gin
  • Telegraph
  • Telephone!
  • Steamboat
  • Railway

As you can see, there were lots of inventions during the Industrial Revolution, and it has changed the way we live in America today.

John D. Rockefeller

John Davison Rockefeller was born on July 8, 1839, in New York. He was a businessman and philanthropist. He dropped out of high school to start a business that sold grain and hay, but he realized that he could make lots of money in oil. So he started an oil refinery business, and had so much success, that he and a few other businessman decided to start a company called Standard Oil. Some people didn’t like this business, because they thought it was too much like a monopoly. So they went complaining to the government, and they declared that Rockefeller’s business violated the Sherman Antitrust Law, so he was forced to split the business.

Rockefeller was also a major philanthropist. He helped found the University of Chicago, Rockefeller University, the Rockefeller foundation, and many more.

John D. Rockefeller wasn’t a perfect man. He did have faults like all of us do, but I consider him to be a good role model in business. He showed generosity with his money, and respect toward his competitors.

References:

The Red Cross and Tuskegee Institute

8G History Week 17 Assignment

For this week’s writing assignment, I will be covering two separate topics, the Red Cross and Tuskegee Institute.

The Red Cross

The Red Cross is an international charity that serves in many ways, including first aid, nurse training, and blood banks, among others. The Red Cross started as an organization that served on the battlefield during wars.

Henri Dunant was one of the people involved in the founding of the Red Cross. He was a humanitarian, and he realized that there was a need for an international organization that would help bring relief and aid to suffering people in wartime. This started the International Relief for the Wounded, which later led to the Red Cross. This organization only existed in Europe, but that was about to change.

Clara Barton was a American Civil War nurse, devoting her time and money to the war effort, which led to the nickname Angel of the Battlefield. When she was on a trip to Switzerland, she heard about the Red Cross, and was inspired to bring it to the U.S. She founded the American Red Cross in 1881.

One thing that I didn’t know about the Red Cross is that it is called the Red Crescent in Muslim countries, because that’s their symbol of religion.

Tuskegee Institute

Tuskegee Institute, also called Tuskegee University, is a university in Tuskegee, Alabama. It was founded by Booker T. Washington in 1881. He wanted a university that would train African Americans to become teachers, because there were no other colleges that did. It also provided farming and business skills.

Tuskegee institute has shifted over the years, and it is now more like a typical college, offering many degrees. It still serves mostly African Americans, and is very famous for its engineering and science classes. George Washington Carver, the man who was credited with discovering more than 300 uses for the peanut, attended Tuskegee Institute!

Sources:

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Red-Cross-and-Red-Crescent

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Tuskegee-University