Personal finance is one of those things that generally sounds pretty boring I think, at least it seems like it must be that way since not very many people talk about it. Maybe it’s just the social taboo that keeps everyone quiet about it. But I’ve been getting more and more interested in it, and I can’t help but think its mostly Mint’s fault. It just makes it way too easy to see where all my hard earned cash is going and feel more accountable. And discovering the plethora of personal finance blogs and things like networth iq helps put things into a larger perspective. And all this economy stuff helps too.
History
I’m definitely glad my dad has always been so keen on the investing/saving front. My college was funded entirely by the mutual fund my dad opened for me when I was very young, so I have faith in long term investing. He also helped me get a Roth IRA going once I started working even though I didn’t really understand what it was for. My family has also always lived comfortably by living in moderation, so I’m glad I’ve inherited that mindset.
A mundane step forward
It’s all the little things that I’m just getting around to that make me feel like I’m just now starting to get it. Setting up the 401k. Moving some extra cash into a high APY online savings account (instead of letting it sit in checking). And applying for a credit card (which was frighteningly easy to do) that gives me some more cash back. I guess these are all pretty mundane things that everyone just does, but for some reason it feels like an epiphany.
Priorities
Mint also makes me want rethink what my life priorities and goals actually are. So I feel like I should list them out, more as a reminder to myself where my mulah would be better spent.
High Priority / This is totally worth it!
Creating Media Traveling & Exploring Learning new things Investing in my body Enjoying good company High quality, durable goods.
Low Priority / Ok, but can I convert it into funding for a high priority thing instead?
Watching Media Fashion in general Cheap throw away goods Fancy Luxuries The latest gadgets Collecting anything
So i guess that’s it for now. I’m not entirely sure what the point of this brain dump was, just felt like I needed to get it out of my head. Now that I at least have some structure set up and some general guidelines I feel like I can stop obsessing over the details and possibilities over and over again. I feel more secure being more financially conscious.
Also, this is real world bar graph coffee table awesome. I’d like to make some similar real time updated information visualizing tangible stuff.
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