Living for today - Planning for Tomorrow
Money rules and guidelines like “save a 6-month emergency fund” are useful when making a budget and determining if you’re on the right track financially. However, some conventional personal finance wisdom might be a bit outdated. Many money rules haven’t been updated in a while and may not reflect the post-pandemic economy. High inflation, interest rates, and housing prices may make certain personal finance guidelines
Recently I’ve seen several articles and videos discussing financial mistakes that retirees regret making. Us younger folks can glean a lot of wisdom from our elders, including important financial lessons about saving and retirement. Many seniors say they wish they’d built up a bigger nest egg and invested in assets that provide a steady income stream. Here are 4 financial mistakes retirees regret making so
Buyer’s remorse is the pit in the bottom of your stomach that you feel after making a purchase you regret. For me, buyer’s remorse usually kicks in if I buy something I can live without. If I don’t really need an item, I often regret purchasing it and wish I would’ve saved the money instead. But buyer’s remorse can happen for a wide variety of
The sayings “live within your means” and “live below your means” are often used interchangeably. However, I believe they have slightly different connotations. Living within your means simply indicates that you aren’t racking up debt to cover your lifestyle. Even someone who’s living paycheck to paycheck is technically staying within their means because they aren’t going into the red every month. On the other hand,
How many times have you purchased a cheap product that broke just a few months later? Inexpensive, mass-produced items may seem like a good deal when you first buy them. But the difference in quality is obvious once you get them home and start using them. Instead of buying low-cost items that fall apart, it may be better to follow the ‘buy once, cry once’
A recent study showed that 73% of Americans rated money as the number one stressor in their life. However, there’s a minority of people who simply don’t care about money and feel completely indifferent toward their finances. This mindset is known as financial apathy and can cost you a lot of money. If you aren’t motivated enough to create a budget and reign in your
Ensuring that you have a solid retirement plan in place is crucial. Pensions are largely a thing of the past, and the future of Social Security is up in the air. So if you don’t save enough in your 401k over the course of your career, you may not get to have a retirement at all. Knowing this, I’m being conservative with my retirement planning.
Recently I learned about a phenomenon called stealth inflation. It’s a type of inflation that happens when businesses add fees to their products and services to help maintain their profit margins. Resort fees at hotels and service fees on food delivery orders are two examples of stealth inflation. It’s estimated that Americans pay $65 billion in fees every year. So learning how to spot and
Many credit cards offer great perks like cash back, travel discounts, and interest-free introductory periods. For a long time, I put as many of my expenses as I could on my credit card to get rewards. But when I paid off my credit card each month, I was often surprised by the balance I’d run up. I’ve always been able to pay off my credit
Some personal finance gurus suggest that you shouldn’t clip coupons and pinch pennies if you want to save money. Instead, you should focus on increasing your earning potential to maximize your savings. However, self-made millionaires would disagree that frugality isn’t important. Many of today’s millionaires built their wealth slowly over decades by investing regularly and living below their means. And even after becoming rich, they
