At times, I think the political and cultural columnist David Brooks has a little bit of Mediterranean blood flowing through his body (regardless of his Anglo-Saxon appearance).  Time and time again Brooks puts together elegant arguments on the paradox of American living, why gun control is necessary, or, say, how most people struggle to find happiness.  While I don’t agree […]

(photo: Many Italians are frugal, but ask an Italian what he or she loves better, a fig or money and the answer will almost always be the king of fruits, the fig) If you haven’t noticed, Scordo.com has been focusing on living the Italian Way recently.  Scordo began as a practical living and personal finance blog, but what I noticed […]

The Tradition You Come From Matters One of the critical life lessons I learned from my Italian family is how to value food and dispel the myth of equating poor eating habits with economic class or spending power.  Specifically, I was taught: How to cook and the closely associated idea of, Why food is important and should be taken seriously. My mother […]

Should I Go To Law School? I spent myundergraduate days studying philosophy, linguistics, and psychology and, as I’ve told many close friends (and anyone else who wants to listen), Philosophy provides an excellent academic and pragmatic (yes I mean practical) foundation for countless careers and professions. One profession that is closely associated with studying philosophy as an undergrad is Law. Philosophy provides excellent training […]

(photo: my young uncle washing his hands in an outdoor fountain in Bagnara, Calabra – Village of Pellegrina) One of the most important life skills you can teach your child is how to save or, more specifically, why it’s important to save.   My parents would often bring me to the bank as a small child and I observed my mother writing and cashing […]

Around the same time last year, I offered some no-brainer tips on how to get along with everyone on Thanksgiving.  The tips emanated from the fact that even if you love most of your Italian family members there comes a point during the holiday season when you’d like to get Uncle Pasquale in a headlock and give him a good noogie. […]

With the notorious holiday shopping season fast approaching I’m having nauseous visions of deals, coupons, free mass produced turkeys and hams, free shipping, wal-mart, and 40 percent off blow out sales.  The visions are not only vivid and haunting they are actually true!   Don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t pass up a deal on a particular consumer item that […]

I’ve often stated here and to many friends directly that recent immigrants have an intuitive personal finance philosophy that not only embraces the pillars associated with the American dream but also runs counter to the deeply entrenched, and ugly side, of modern American life: consumerism and materialism.   Some friends get the above point quickly and agree, while others look […]

Photo: University of New Hampshire Philosophy Dept. @ Hamilton Smith Hall Reader Question: I’m a student that needs to decide on a Major. Besides my credits being in a complicated mumbo jumbo from transfers and other what-have-you’s I’m a normal student. I was doing some searching about philosophy majors and found your article on “Why I Should Major In Philosophy”. So you have […]

Five Common Sense Tips / Hacks / Tricks For Living a Better Life Living life is joyous on occasion, rough going sporadically (hopefully), and even keel on most days.  The aforementioned goes for superstar power brokers and well endowed professional athletes – life, as a matter of fact, is ever changing and a challenge (and mundane at times).There are, however […]