A lot of experts are saying that our children will never be as well off financially as we are. This is by no means the first time I’ve heard that the golden age is over. The last time was during the 2008 stock market crash, before then it was 2001, before that 1990, and 1982 before that. I’ve heard this lamentation enough to conclude that future generations are not consigned to a lower standard of living. Money and career decisions you and the younger people in your life make now and, in the future, will strongly influence how you and they will fare financially later on. True, there will be those who will not thrive financially – there always will be. But there are ways you can control the direction of your financial future to stack the odds of money success in your favor. Our job with Ponderings is to help you and your family do just that. As you go forward, rather than focusing on what can go wrong in your financial life, be more optimistic. While the economy and the investment markets periodically go through rough patches, as they are now, the good times far outweigh the bad.
Smart Money Tips
• Achieving a successful financial life isn’t complicated. Enjoying a successful financial life is the result of three essential skills: First is earning – your ability to earn an income which requires education, dedication, and resourcefulness. Second is spending, or more specifically, spending less than you earn. Third is investing your savings so that they could grow without risking severe losses in declining markets. This requires patience and a disciplined approach to investing in all kinds of economic conditions. These basics of financial success have never changed and never will in the future. Everything else is details, most of which are just common sense.
• Request duplicate investment statements for the seniors in your life. If you’ve got a parent or other older generation family member who isn’t paying much attention to his or her investments, you might want to request duplicate copies of the monthly investment statements. While most investment professionals and caregivers are aboveboard, some take advantage of seniors. Also, there may come a time when seniors who invest on their own are no longer up to the task. So, it wouldn’t hurt to request duplicate copies of the investment statements so you can keep an eye out for any unusual holdings or transactions in the account. In only takes a couple of minutes to review the statements and it is time well spent.
Food for Thought
Things turn out best for the people who make the best out of the way things turn out.
-Art Linkletter
Money Can Be Funny
I’m living so far beyond my income that we may almost be said to be living apart.
-E. E. Cummings
Word of the Week
philargyrist noun – a person who loves money
Origin: From the Greek filargyros. Filos is friend and arguros is a precious metal or money. (Not to be confused with phlyarologist – one who constantly speaks nonsense.)
The great philargyrist, Jackie Mason, once noted: “Money is not the most important thing in the world. Love is. Fortunately, I love money.”