10 Bad Money Habits to Break: Behaviors Worth Changing
Do bad money habits constrain your financial progress? Many people fall into the same financial behavior patterns year after year. If you sometimes succumb to these financial tendencies, the New Year is as good an occasion as any to alter your behavior.
#1: Lending money to family & friends.
You may know
someone who has lent a few thousand to a sister or
brother, a few hundred to an old buddy, and so on. Generosity is a virtue, but personal loans can easily transform into personal financial losses for the lender. If you
must loan money to a friend or family member, mention that you will charge interest and set a repayment
plan with deadlines. Better yet, don’t do it at all. If your
friends or relatives can’t learn to budget, why should
you bail them out?
#2: Spending more than you make.
Living beyond your means, living on margin, whatever you wish to call it,
it is a path toward significant debt. Wealth is seldom made by buying possessions. Today’s flashy material items may become the garage sale junk of 2025. Yet, the trend continues: a 2012 Federal Reserve Survey of
Consumer Finances calculated that just 52% of American households earn more money than they spend.
#3: Saving little or nothing.
Good savers build emergency funds, have money to invest and compound,
and leave the stress of living paycheck-to-paycheck
behind. If you can’t put extra money away, there is
another way to get some: a second job. Even working 15-20 hours more per week could make a big diff-
erence. The problem is far too common: a CreditDonkey.com survey of 1,105 households last fall found
that 41% of respondents had less than $500 in savings. In another disturbing detail, 54% of the respondents had no savings strategy.
#4: Living without a budget.
You may make enough money that you don’t feel you need to budget. In truth, few of us are really that wealthy. In calculating a
budget, you may find opportunities for savings and
detect wasteful spending.
#5: Frivolous spending.
Advertisers can make us feel as if we have sudden needs—needs we must respond to, needs that can only be met via the purchase of a product. See their ploys for what they are.
Think twice before spending impulsively.
#6: Not using cash often enough.
No one can deny that the world runs on credit, but that doesn’t mean your household should. Pay with cash as often as your budget allows, as long as you do not lose track of this spending. Otherwise, pay with a debit card or a credit card that you pay off completely every month.
#7: Gambling.
Remember when people had to go to Atlantic City or Nevada to play blackjack or slots?
Today, behemoth casinos are as common as major airports; most metro areas seem to have one or be within an hour’s drive of one. If you don’t like smoke and crowds, you can always play the lottery. There are many glamorous ways to lose money while having “fun.”
The bottom line: losing money is not fun. All it takes
is willpower to stop gambling. If an addiction has
overruled your willpower, seek help.
#8: Inadequate financial literacy.
Is the financial world boring? To many people, it is. The Wall Street
Journal is not exactly Rolling Stone, and The Economist is hardly light reading. You don’t have to start there, however: great, readable and even entertaining websites filled with useful financial information abound. Reading an article per day on these websites could help you greatly increase your financial
understanding if you feel it is lacking.
#9: Not contributing to IRAs or workplace retirement plans.
Even with all the complaints about 401(k)s
and the low annual limits on traditional and Roth
IRA contributions, these retirement savings vehicles
offer you remarkable wealth-building opportunities. The earlier you contribute to them, the better; the more you contribute to them, the more compounding
of those invested assets you may potentially realize.
#10: DIY retirement planning.
Those who plan for
retirement without the help of professionals leave themselves open to abrupt, emotional investing mistakes and tax and estate planning oversights. Another
common tendency is to vastly underestimate the amount of money needed for the future. Few people have the time to amass the knowledge and skill set possessed by a financial services professional with years of experience. Instead of flirting with trial and
error, see a professional for insight.
This material was prepared by MarketingLibrary.Net Inc., and does not necessarily represent the views of the presenting party, nor their affiliates. Marketing Library.Net Inc. is not affiliated with any broker or brokerage firm that may be providing this information to you. All information is believed to be from reliable sources; however we make no representation as to its completeness or accuracy. Please note: investing involves risk, and past performance is no guarantee of future results. The publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional services. If assistance is needed, the reader is advised to engage the services of a competent professional. This information should not be construed as investment, tax, or legal advice and may not be relied on for the purpose of avoiding any Federal tax penalty. This is not a solicitation or a recommendation to purchase or sell any investment or insurance product or service, and should not be relied upon as such. All indices are unmanaged and are not illustrative of any particular investment.
| Moneywise is hosted by Rajesh Jyotishi with Shalin Financial Services, Inc. Rajesh is an investment advisor representative of Resource Horizons Group, L.L.C., a registered broker-dealer, and a member FINRA/SIPC. Advisory services are offered through Resource Horizons Investment Advisory. Rajesh has been in the insurance, investments and financial planning field since 1991. He can be reached at 770- 451-1932, ext. 101 or at RJ@shalinfinancial.com. |
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