INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Twitter and Tumblr make it easy to be completely unfiltered in a very public way. If you're going to rant hard on a subject that you feel passionately about, feel free to do it, but don't post it online until you've had a chance to think about it for a while.  Good rule of thumb: give it 24 hours. If you still feel the same way about the issue, and just as passionately, and are willing to stand behind it if you're called into question, post it. If you were called onto national television and asked to defend your opinion, would you want to do it? If the answer is no, you might think twice about posting it for all the world to see online. Ever see the video of protesters holding anti-Socialism signs who are asked to define Socialism, and can't? You don't want to be them. You'll be on a fast-track to embarrassing yourself if you go out and start ranting about an issue you know nothing about. Get smart before you start making noise. Again, it can't be stressed enough, if you're not informed about a particular issue, we don't need your opinion about it. Keep it to yourself. Ad-hominem attacks are directed at the character of a particular person, not the work or the words that came from that person. It's a good idea to mock the creator of "Two and a Half Men" for the terrible show he's responsible for, but not because "he has a dumb face and bad clothes." That doesn't have anything to do with the subject at hand. Avoid the temptation to attack the character. . Your rant has to make sense, even if it's running on its passion. Be familiar with the basics of creating an argument and sustain it with good points and logic, or your rant will fall apart. Every argument should include:  A clear thesis Supporting evidence Good examples Warrants and backing logic A summary or conclusion It's important that you save a good rant for something that you're going to be able to dismantle with surgical precision, not something that just rubs you the wrong way and which you feel like making noise about. The bus was late again? Ok, so what? If you can answer that question with a good example, that it made everyone on your bus late for work, say, then you've got a good rant on your hands. If the only consequence is that it took you five minutes more to get to the coffee shop, save it. Four-letter words are like cayenne pepper: they can add a little spice to a dish, but nobody wants to eat fistfuls of the stuff. If you do decide to throw in a couple of curse-bombs into your rant, make them count, don't make them the center of attention.

SUMMARY: Let it sit before you make it public. Address the issue from an intelligent point of view. Don't make it personal. Avoid logical fallacies Don't rant just to rant. Keep it as clean as possible.


INPUT ARTICLE: Article: The first step to building assets is setting up a plan for your money. Decide exactly how you will allocate every dollar you earn. As an initial goal, budget 50% of your money on needs like food, shelter, and transportation. Then budget 30% towards savings and 20% to wants and miscellaneous purchases.  Ideally, your budget should help you maximize your savings. If you can get the amount you spend on needs under 50% and the amount you save close to or above 50%, you will have a very strong budget. Try lowering your cost of living by making inexpensive meals at home. Moving into a smaller house or lower-rent apartment can also help you to save a great deal of money every year. After making a budget you need to make sure you stick to it. Only buy things if you have money in your budget for them. Keep a spreadsheet that lists all of your purchases so you know exactly what you’re spending on. Always know how much money you have left to spend for any week, month, or year. Download a budgeting app like Mint or PocketGuard to help you track your spending. These apps can help people follow their budgets without having to maintain spreadsheets or save receipts. Change all the lightbulbs in your home to LED or CFL lightbulbs, as these can greatly reduce electricity bills. You can also unplug electrical devices you don’t use often, as anything that’s plugged in draws some electricity. To lower your heating and cooling bills, install a programmable thermostat, which can help you use energy more efficiently. Think particularly hard about getting rid of items that have high monthly bills, like cable. If you have any subscriptions or memberships that you use infrequently, cancel them. This will help you save money every month. The less debt you have, the more quickly you’ll be able to build assets. Some kinds of debt, like a mortgage or student loans, can help you build assets or increase your earning potential. But even in these cases look closely at the numbers and make sure you can afford that amount of debt before you take it on.  If you use credit cards, pay off the balance monthly so you don’t have to pay interest. If you already have a considerable amount that you’re having trouble paying off, try to consolidate or refinance it. This might help you get a lower interest rate or stay on top of your monthly payments.

SUMMARY:
Make a budget. Track your spending. Lower monthly energy costs. Reduce the amount you spend on entertainment. Avoid taking on debt, especially on credit cards.