This is And I'm Dan, I'm your host, and this is where I read you articles from some of the best financial blogs on the planet.

And I'm going to keep this intro nice and short for you today, so let's get right to it as we start optimizing your life. The Oregon Trail Guide to Personal Finance.

What happens next? By Janna with Budgets Are Sexy.com.

As a child of the 80s, I can't help but have an affinity for the Oregon Trail, the game, not the actual

Oregon Trail.

Though I do have mad respect for the pioneers who made that trek, that's some bad sery right there.

I mean, who doesn't love a good case of cholera or hunting buffalo to get their blood pumping?

I know I do.

But did you also know that while we were fording the river, trading for

oxen and buying bullets, we were also learning about personal finance? It's true. If you don't believe

me, you can check out my series The Oregon Trail Guide to Personal Finance. But I'm not here to promote that, even

though it's really awesome and you totally need to read it. No, I'm here to tell you that once the

journey ends, there's still a long way to go. I've always wondered what happened to the settlers at the end of the game. I mean you get to Oregon and then what? What do they do? Where do they live? How do they earn money? Those kinds of things. Fortunately, the clever folks who created the Oregon Trail have a follow-up

game that helps me answer those questions. And wouldn't you know, I've learned a few more financial

lessons from that. I swear, these people are evil geniuses. Here's a sample. Take care of your necessities

first. In the game you arrive at a completely empty plot of land save for trees, rocks, and the occasional

buffalo skull.

In order to build on it, you first need to clear the land.

Once the land is cleared, you can start building, but what to build first?

That's a good question, and the answer is simple.

Take care of your necessities.

Find a water source.

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