Let’s face it - it’s not always easy to make well-informed financial decisions. The world of personal finance can be complex and often times extremely overwhelming. Without the guidance of a good financial advisor, it’s possible that one could become lost in the sea of investment lingo in only a short amount of time – it’s always nice to have a trusted ally nearby.
What I find most interesting is that, usually, it’s not ignorance that leads to financial problems. More often, it’s personal laziness and lack of self-control that puts us in bad shape financially. That’s right, it’s our own fault – we are often times our own worst financial enemy.
There are a number of common mistakes that people make when it comes to personal financial planning. To many, these would seem like common-sense, no-brainer type of financial decisions…that’s because they are. Most of us know when we’re making moves which are financially detrimental, but we’re often overcome by our desire to have more and live for today.
So what about you? Are you your own financial worst enemy? Here are 5 sure signs that you are (as well as some tips to help you become more finance-friendly):
- Live for Today, Retire…Never
The total of your monthly discretionary spending or “fun-money” is more than you save each month. Discretionary spending includes money spent on those items or events that aren’t really necessary such as electronics, entertainment, dining out, sporting events, a new wardrobe, etc. Savings includes money set aside for retirement, an emergency fund, or other goals you may have set for yourself (purchase a home, college savings, etc.). It’s virtually impossible to reach any type of financial goal if you are more heavily focused on spending today rather than saving for tomorrow.
Befriend your finances: Create a budget and pay yourself first by diverting money into a savings or investment account directly from your paycheck. Start making decisions based on your future financial security by allocating only a small percentage of your income to discretionary spending. When the time comes to reap the financial rewards, you’ll be glad you did.
- Minimum Payments, Maximum Pain
You continue to pay only the minimum (or even twice the minimum) required payment on your credit card(s). If you’re unable to pay off your credit card bill each month, you shouldn’t even be thinking about buying a new HDTV, designer clothes, a new pair of shoes, or anything else for that matter. Just because you still have available credit on one of your many outstanding credit cards doesn’t mean you should continue to spend. If you’re carrying a balance on your credit card(s) and paying absurdly high interest rates, you can do without that new pair of shoes!
Befriend your finances: If you’ve had a solid payment history with your credit card provider, call and request an interest rate reduction. Many credit card companies would be happy to oblige to keep you as a customer. Otherwise, transfer your current balances to a new, lower interest rate card. Paying off your credit card balances should be your highest financial priority – make the necessary spending sacrifices in order to pay down the balances as quickly as possible.
- It May Be Time to Grow Up
The value of all of your “big-boy toys” (televisions, electronics, unnecessary vehicles, boats, ATV’s, etc.) is greater than the total value of your savings accounts. You might be saying “but these items are investments!” No, these are items that are fun and nice to have, but have zero chance of appreciating in value. That is not an investment.
Befriend your finances: Re-prioritize your savings goals and consider whether or not you would be better off selling some of your more valuable “toys” in order to get back on track financially. Seriously consider doing this if you have taken on additional debt as a means of financing the purchase of these “toys”. You may miss having these things for a short period of time, but in the long run, the peace that comes with financial security will prevail.
- Don’t Leave Cash on the Table
You ignore or disregard sources of “free” money. Does your employer offer to match your retirement plan contributions? Does your employer offer to deduct pre-tax amounts from your paycheck for flexible spending accounts or transportation reimbursement? Have you taken it upon yourself to do the necessary tax planning so that you don’t provide Uncle Sam with an interest-free loan each year (your tax refund)? Free money. Free money. Free money. Go get it.
Befriend your finances: Don’t leave money on the table. Take advantage of every last penny of a matching contribution or tax-deductible savings account. It’s literally money in your pocket. In addition, use the tax withholding calculator on the IRS website to determine your expected tax shortfall or refund and adjust your withholdings accordingly so that you neither pay nor owe additional tax at year-end. (http://www.irs.gov/individuals/article/0,,id=96196,00.html)
- No Cushion = A Hard Fall
You have no emergency savings fund. I’m not referring to the jar of coins that sits on your dresser, but an amount of easily accessible cash (preferably in a bank earning interest, not a shoebox) that will cover at least 3-6 months of living expenses. The most likely reason for a lack of emergency savings it that you have chosen to spend instead, i.e. you live paycheck to paycheck. If this is the case, you’re only a pink slip away from financial ruin.
Befriend your finances: Start building an emergency savings fund today. Have a specific amount deducted from each paycheck and deposited directly to a savings account. Refrain from tapping into this money for impulse buys, vacations, etc. – it is for emergencies only!
It’s important to regain your sense of financial self-control to achieve financial maturity. Small changes that you make today can go a long way toward building a solid financial future, but the key is to get started now – don’t wait! It takes strength and determination to battle our enemies, especially when the enemy is you!
 | Written on 8/03/2009 by Jacob Inman. Jacob is is the founder and executive editor of ReviveYourLife.com, a personal development site focused on promoting positive change and self-improvement. | Photo Credit: Betsssssy |
译文:
在个人理财上，你是自己最大的敌人吗？
让我们面对现实吧：在理财抉择上，要做出一个明智的决定并非一件易事。个人理财的世界很复杂，而且经常呈压倒性态势。若没有一个有益的理财专家的指导，人们很可能在短时间内荡失在茫茫信息的海洋中漂泊迷惘——周围有一个值得信任的盟友太有帮助了。
我觉得最有意思的是，无知通常并不是导致财政问题的主要原因。更多的情况则是，个人的懒散和自我控制的缺乏将我们拖入财政困境。的确，这是我们自身的错误——我们更多时候是自己的财政敌人。
当开始一项理财计划时，人们常常会犯一些常识性错误。它们中的许多看起来似乎都是常识，不需要经过大脑思考就能作出的决定……因为它们的确如此。我们大多数人都知道有时我们正在做一项对理财有害的决定，但是我们常常想渴求更多、生活地更好，以致视而不见。
那么你呢？你是自己最大的理财敌人么？下面是5种常见症状（同时其中也有一些助你i理财的小贴士）：
- 生活在当下，退休……不可能 你每个月的非必要支出或享乐支出的总和超过你每个月所储存的。非必要支出就是把钱花在那些非必需品上，比如电子产品、娱乐、外出就餐、体育项目、一大批新衣服等等。储存的钱是指那些用于养老、紧急资金、或者其他你打算为自己设定的目标（比如买套房子，为大学学费存钱等等）。如果你将生活的重心放在当前的享乐上而没有为未来做准备，那么要达到任何理财的目标是不太可能的。
理财小贴士：建立一笔预算，每次领工资时，先将用于储蓄或者投资的钱从帐号中移出。开始基于未来的财产安全做一些决定，比如腾出你收入中的一小部份钱用于一些非必要花费。当你获得理财收获时，你会非常开心。
- 最小额支付，最大的痛楚
你每次只支付信用卡的最低还款额（或者最低还款额的两倍）。如果你每个月都没有能力还清你的信用卡，你甚至都不应该想着要买一部新的高清晰度电视片、新衣新鞋或者任何相关东西。你还可以使用手头某张高透支额的信用卡，并不意味着你可以继续挥霍无度。如果你正挣扎于在信用卡使用和支付那高得离谱的利息之间保持平衡，你不必买那双新鞋了！
理财小贴士：如果你的信用卡信誉程度良好，你可以打电话给你的信用卡提供商要求降低利息。许多信用卡公司为了保住客户会欣然接受你的意见。另外，将你当前的信用卡消费差额全部转到一张新的较低利息的卡上。每次付清你信用卡上的差额是最好的理财方式——适度少花些钱，为了能尽快地还清差额。
- 该是时候成长了
你的“大男孩玩具”（电视机、电子产品、不必要的车子、游艇、有线电视等等）的价值总大过于你储蓄的价值。你或许会说“可那些是投资！”不，这些东西很有意思，拥有很美好，但它们没有机会增值。那不是一项投资。
理财小贴士：重新权衡一下你的储蓄计划，考虑一下卖掉一些有价值的“玩具”以使你的财政恢复到正常轨道是否更好一些。如果你已经投资了一笔钱来购买这些“玩具”，请谨慎为之。你短时间可能会怀念这些玩具，但是从长远来看，你的理财保证将会占上风。
- 别将现钞留在桌子上
你无视或者不在意“免费的”钱的来源。你的雇主有没有提供有利于你退休计划的配合？你的雇主有没有主动从你的薪水扣除税前金额以应对意外的花费或者运输退税？你有没有做一些必要的赋税计划，让你不用提供山姆大叔每年一份免息贷款（用你的退税）？免费的钱，免费的钱，免费的钱，快去争取吧。
理财小贴士：别把钱留在桌上.合理利用好一份与你相配的款项或者可减税的储蓄账户的每一分钱。毫不夸张地说，这是你口袋中的钱。另外，用国内税务局网络上的代扣所得税计算机来减少你意料中的税额不足或退税，相应调整你的代扣所得税，年底你就无需支付或亏钱额外税了。
（http://www.irs.gov/individuals/article/0,,id=96196,00.html)
- 没有缓冲＝硬伤
你没有紧急储备资金。我不是指为了买一件衣服而存在储蓄罐里的硬币，而是指一笔容易得到的现金（最好是存在银行里有利息的钱，而不是放在鞋盒里那种），而这笔现金可以维持你3～6个月的生活开销。缺乏紧急储蓄资金的最大原因是你选择了挥霍，比如你拿了工资就花光。如果是这种情况，你离财政危机仅一步之遥。
理财小贴士：开始建立一比紧急储蓄款。从每个月的薪水中固定扣除一笔钱直接转到这个储蓄账户中去。避免自己使用这笔钱去冲动消费或者用于度假。——这些只为紧急情况而准备！
为了达到成熟理财的目的，很重要的一点是你必须要有经济自控意识。今天所做的小小改变，在未来就会建立起一份稳固的财产，但是关键点是现在就开始做——别等待！我们需要力量和决心来战胜我们的敌人，特别是当敌人就是我们自己！
| Written on 8/03/2009 by Jacob Inman. Jacob is is the founder and executive editor of ReviveYourLife.com, a personal development site focused on promoting positive change and self-improvement. | Photo Credit: Betsssssy |