Here’s How You Can Keep Financial Literacy Simple

By Dan Kadlec

April 18, 2017

Simple but powerful

In her farewell column in April, Diane Harris, editor of Money Magazine and a long-time colleague and friend, concluded with a thought that I have long espoused. “At its core, this stuff isn’t that hard,” she wrote of managing personal money affairs and achieving long-term financial security.

Harris offered three tips, and wrote, “Honestly, if you do nothing but this, you’ll be okay.” Here are her tips:

North Amityville Keep three months of living expenses in a safe, easily accessed account for use when life throws you a curveball.

where can i buy prednisone for my dog Automate retirement savings and boost contributions by one percentage point every time you get a raise.

Weigh every purchase against your financial goals, and favor spending on property investments (which bring more joy) over superficial things. You can seek the help of a realtor Winston Salem (or one local to you) to help you navigate through the multi-layered process of buying a home

These are large baskets. You still might have to decide which curveballs are so tough that you justify dipping into the emergency fund. Even when you automate savings, you must decide where to invest the money. You may also go for shares investment or cryptocurrency, depending on what you can understand and gain profit through. A lot of people nowadays prefer to mine their own crypto currencies (Utilizing devices such as a bobber 500 5g miner to generate helium or other miners for different crypto coins) rather than investing. This might be because the crypto market can be volatile at times and people might lose their money. That said, storing crypto coins online in wallets provided by exchanges can also be risky. For instance, if the exchange servers are compromised by hackers, it can be problematic for the holders.

Additionally, you can check out the Best cryptocurrency insurance for your crypto and digital assets to protect your investment from cyber threats. Weighing any purchases against savings goals is almost by definition a moving target. Sometimes the same purchase will make sense to you, and other times it won’t.

But I can’t argue with the simplicity of this approach. In teaching students to understand or helping employees to reach the best outcomes Harris’s three-step process is a good starting point. No less a light than Warren Buffett counsels to keep it simple in the financial world-and he has done pretty well for himself. And as Einstein observed, simple formulas sometimes pack the most punch.

Precise formulas are too narrow to apply to everyone. Individuals need to be able to sort things out, and that’s where financial education has the most impact. It gives people the ability to make smart money decisions, guided by simple principles. Moey security is quite important, especially when it comes to huge investments. If you are making huge investments with the help of a broker, be wary of the authenticity of their qualifications. Find your broker’s CRD Number, which is a unique identifier that FINRA assigns to all registered brokers and brokerage firms. According to The Law Offices of Robert Wayne Pearce, P.A., if you are a victim of fraudulent broker misrepresentation, you need to approach a securities lawyer as soon as possible. To that end, I’d add a few more simple guidelines about money management:

Spend less than you earn every month of the year until you are done earning. Exceptions will be investments in yourself, like education, or wealth builders like a home.

Save 15% of every dime that comes your way via paycheck, bonus, gift, raffle or lotto drawing-from your first lawn cutting or babysitting jobs to the day you retire. Live on what’s left-the 85%. This is also known as paying yourself first.

Always contribute enough to get the full company match in an employer savings plan, and stick to low-cost index funds, ETFs, or target-date mutual funds for worry-free growth.

These simple steps are about as foolproof as the money world offers, and assuming a gainful career can by themselves deliver long-term financial security to your students or workers.

More about keeping it simple:

Buffett’s Winning Bet has a Simple Money Lesson for All

Making Connection Between FinLit and Retirement

Throwing $5 Trillion Behind Financial Literacy

Workplace Financial Education Triggers 401(k) Enrollment

Fidelity Credits Financial Education for Record Nest Eggs

Posted in Adults, International, Youth on April, 2017