Tag Archives: Financial Education

Money Mission: Raise Money-Smart Kids

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Many people, upon reaching their twilight years, will look back with regret at some of the choices they made in life. Remorseful memories of ‘youthful exuberance’ are often money-related; as the poor financial decisions that we made long ago have consequences that can negatively impact our fortunes forever.

Sometimes, I wish I could take a trip on a time machine so that I could change my past. One of the first things I would seek to rectify would be my imprudent actions regarding money. I would erase the careless spending and non-existent saving habits that characterised my early years, and replace them with sensible money practices.

If you’re like me, and you have a less-than-impressive history with money, don’t hold your breath waiting for that time machine to be invented! While we can still make smart decisions today that may eventually turn around our finances, life would have been definitely easier if we had learned and applied the right principles when we were young. Continue reading Money Mission: Raise Money-Smart Kids →

Make 2012 Your Best Year Ever

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At the beginning of a new year most people choose to reflect on the past and make resolutions for things they would like to accomplish going forward. However, despite their grand ideas and hopeful wishes, all too often, the days, weeks and months slip by without any progress being made towards actualising their goals.

Although they may have a good picture of the end result that they want to attain, many people fail to prosper because they really don’t know how to create and carry out an action plan that works.

Success is not achieved by a swift arrival at a desired destination; it’s the cumulative result of taking consistent, tiny steps that are headed in the right direction.

Continue reading Make 2012 Your Best Year Ever →

Financial success may be easier than you think

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Last week’s column which looked at several ways in which we sabotage our financial future by delaying important activities seems to have hit home with many readers. The quote ‘procrastination is opportunity’s natural assassin’ certainly rings true when it comes to our finances. Recently, I had yet another occasion to reflect on the dynamic relationship between time and money.

It was late Saturday afternoon when I received information that a family friend was coming to visit for a few days and would be arriving in less than three hours. In full-fledged panic mode, I thought about all the things that needed to be accomplished before I would be comfortable with having a guest stay in my house.

As I have acknowledged many times, procrastination has unfortunately been one of my more challenging vices. True to form, I had put off many little household tasks that could easily be ignored by my family alone; but with a visitor almost on my doorstep, these now became critical to my desire to be a successful and sociable host. Continue reading Financial success may be easier than you think →

What do the rich know about money?

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“The main reason people struggle financially is because they have spent years in school but learned nothing about money. The result is that people learn to work for money… but never learn to have money work for them.”

This bold statement on the back cover of Rich Dad Poor Dad was very intriguing. I had heard a lot about Robert Kiyosaki’s bestselling book, which promised to reveal what rich people taught their children about money that poor and middle-class people did not.

I was eager to find out if the publicity hype surrounding it was warranted, so it was one of the first books that I read in my search for ways to become financially successful.

I have spoken to hundreds of persons who are, just like I was many years ago, financially distressed and desperate for solutions to their money problems. Unfortunately, too many of them are looking for quick fixes to their financial woes. The question often asked is, “How can I make some more money fast?” Continue reading What do the rich know about money? →