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William C. Wood

Economics, faith and fun: not in order of importance

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Summary of smart moves (or maybe just less stupid)

Smart things I did (or maybe just less stupid) in the personal finances of myself and my family (see footnotes): Abandoned the default 50-50 split between stocks and bonds in my long-term saving, going instead for the Stupid Financial Plan’s*

webmaster October 17, 2019October 17, 2019 Plain Money ideas Read more

A new challenge

Effective July 1, 2019, I became the department head in economics at James Madison University. This is my second term of service in this job — but when I did it before, I was Luke Skywalker and now I’m Obi-Wan

webmaster July 26, 2019 Observations Read more

Return to macro

In spring 2019 I’m teaching the macro principles class for the first time in a few years — and I’m looking forward to it. I’m a regular participant in our department’s weekly macro seminar and I have some new material

webmaster January 3, 2019 Observations Read more

What I did on my summer vacation

“Don’t mix business and pleasure,” says the old proverb, but this vacation worked out well with both — a trip to Lambeau Field for a professional conference with lots of fun and sightseeing with my family too. (Trust me, the

webmaster August 3, 2018July 26, 2019 Observations Read more

About “Plain Money”

Getting a Grip on Your Money was published in 2002 and had a good five-year run. It was featured on nationally syndicated talk shows, published overseas, and used for group discussions in a variety of settings. The book is still available from

webmaster March 21, 2018August 20, 2018 Plain Money ideas Read more

Can you automate good investing habits?

The Plain Money approach to investing isn’t fancy — it’s just developing some good habits: buy and hold index funds, keep costs low, keep things in balance. But in some 401(k) situations that’s not easy. You may have multiple accounts,

webmaster March 21, 2018March 21, 2018 Plain Money ideas Read more

Star Wars: The whole thing

It was not a great use of time, but I watched all 15 hours and 32 minutes of Star Wars I-VII before going to the theater with the family for Star Wars VIII, and here are a few thoughts: Star

webmaster January 4, 2018May 6, 2019 Observations Read more

Teaching note

I love to teach using Socratic dialogue, with a few extra twists thrown in. This video explains:

webmaster January 2, 2018January 4, 2018 Observations Read more

Virtuous sign

One of our academic mice puts up a yard sign in three languages, but what does it say?  

webmaster September 6, 2017September 6, 2017 academic mice Read more

Econometrics

When I teach econometrics it’s fun (really!), but there’s a lot of power in econometrics for good or ill. Econometrics can be used honestly to study and understand the material world (my favorite use) or dishonestly to advance the agendas

webmaster August 14, 2017January 4, 2018 Observations Read more
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Recent thoughts

  • A new challenge
  • Return to macro
  • What I did on my summer vacation
  • Star Wars: The whole thing
  • Teaching note

What is that image?


Spaghetti Shirt

The image is a close-up of a “spaghetti shirt,” and here’s how it works: You take an old dress shirt, paint it up with random color designs, and wash it once to set the color. Now if you’re going to do something messy, just put on the spaghetti shirt and stop worrying! (A few blotches of spaghetti sauce won’t make it any less attractive.) To me the spaghetti shirt symbolizes, in its own small way, a less worried and less materialistic lifestyle.

What is Excessmas?

The English language needs a new word, for the celebration of excess that occurs every December. I have suggested “Excessmas,” and my suggestion was published in The Wall Street Journal. Excessmas has nothing to do with Nativity because Nativity is the celebration of Jesus Christ’s birth — a joyful and nonmaterialistic holiday. People of all faiths can find value in separating Nativity from Excessmas. Read my article here.

RSS Plain Money posts

  • Summary of smart moves (or maybe just less stupid)
  • A new challenge
  • Rare Cheating
  • Grant administrator’s story
  • Return to macro

RSS academic mice

  • Rare Cheating
  • Grant administrator’s story
  • Virtuous sign
  • About “academic mice”

Worry-free investing

If you’d like to worry less about your investments, and are willing to put in some serious thought, here’s an approach for you. Buy and hold low-cost index funds — then sit back and let the market work its magic in the long term. You can find out more at my personal finance pages.

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Three free children’s Christmas plays

1. Christmas Hope by Julie Snyder and Bill Wood

2. The Interview: A Children's Christmas Play by Bill Wood

3. Bells of Christmas: The Best Gift by Bill Wood

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