Money: Do you manage it or does it manage you?
There are a lot of self-help gurus out there who would like to sell you on the idea that you can “think yourself rich” or Tony-Robbins your way to wealth. And when it comes to “money management,” there are plenty of resources available for high-level money management — investing, philanthropy, endowments, real estate brokerage, etc. — but really… Is that helpful? The people who want to do those high-level things – who can afford to do those things – typically also can afford to access professionals who can guide them in growing their money. So the self-help-ers aren’t helping the people who, y’know, actually need help.
SO: What about the rest of us?
What about those of us who work too much but also spend too much? Those of us who want to plan for our futures but had nobody behind us who planned for their futures, so we have no baseline from which to work? (My parents can’t be the only ones who are broke in retirement.) What about those of us whose first reaction to practical financial suggestions is to think things like, “I can’t afford to buy insurance” but don’t stop for a moment to give it a second thought and realize, “I can’t afford to NOT have insurance.”
What about those of us who are barely getting by? (And why is that? Where on earth does the paycheck GO?) Or those of us who appear – from the outside – to “have it all” . . . when what we really have is up-to-the-neck debt?
There’s a lot to be said for money management. Unfortunately, too much is often said about high-reach ends that don’t apply to most of us. And not enough is said about everyday decisions that make or break the layperson’s budget.
There’s also not enough honest talk about money in the general sense. We learn (if we learn) about what to do with money from watching our parents and from taking life’s punches on the chin; generally speaking, it’s not something we formally educate our children about or – culturally speaking – are even allowed to discuss. It’s bad form. Or some such bullshit.
Well guess what?
I’ve had to learn the hard way how to manage my money. (Because I was sick to death of my money – or lack thereof – managing me.) Not in an investments-and-taxes way (though I’ve gotten really good at the taxes bit over the years), but in a This Is Real Life kind of way.
And I’m “bad form” enough to tell you about it.
FAIR WARNING: This is a long one. Feel free to skip through to view whichever headings interest you -or- if it’s a triggering topic or you just don’t have time: feel free to skip it altogether. 🙂 Also — I’m not an expert and don’t pretend otherwise; these are simply my opinions and experiences and are in no way intended to represent The Only Way.
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