Michelle Singletary learned everything she knows about money from her grandmother. Well, okay, I shouldn’t say “everything” that she knows. After all, Michelle also has an MBA from Johns Hopkins University. She writes about personal finance for the Washington Post. Her nationally-syndicated personal finance column, The Color of Money, is published in more than 100 newspapers nationwide. She’s written three financial books. Oh, and guess what? Her column was nominated for a Pulitzer. Michelle has been learning, thinking, writing, researching and speaking about money management for decades.[…]
Tag: money
17 Lessons to Improve Your Money & Life
I’ve learned a ton during the past decade, thanks to reading, interviewing, and massive trial-and-error. I’ve distilled many of these lessons into today’s blog post. Here are 17 lessons that can improve your money and life. #1: Money Can’t Make You Happy, But Lack of Money Can Make You Unhappy They say, “money can’t make you happy.” But that’s false. Researchers have examined the link between money and happiness — and guess what? Money can make you happy, to an extent. Multiple studies found a significant correlation between money and happiness among people in low-to-middle income brackets. More money = more happiness, up to a certain level. That’s not surprising. If you used to earn $30,000 per year,[…]
15 Insightful Books about Investing, Money, Work and Life
I love to read. If you share my enthusiasm, you might enjoy this variety of books about money, work and life that I recommend. Feel free to scroll, or click on one of these links to skip ahead to your favorite section. Productivity Books Money Mindset Books Investing Books Real Estate Books Productivity Books Deep Work, by Cal Newport I’ve raved about this book several times, and I’ve also interviewed Dr. Cal Newport on my podcast, where he shared his tremendous insight into productivity and focus. If you’re tired of getting distracted by email, social media, and small tasks, read this book.[…]
#103: Random Smattering of Lessons on Money, Work and Life — plus A Call for Radical Authenticity
On today’s podcast, I’m sharing this random smattering of lessons on money and life.⠀ 1) Simplify everything.⠀ 2) Risk = Probability x Magnitude.⠀ 3) Curate.⠀ 4) Never delay gratification.⠀ 5) Know your net worth, relative to your lifetime earnings.⠀ 6) Don’t half-ass anything. (Whole-ass a few things.)⠀ 7) When you’re not at work, don’t be at work.⠀ 8) Yes,[…]
#65: How to Improve Your Relationship With Money
I’ve always taken an approach to life that puts my freedom first. My one and only 9-5 lasted only 3 years. Since then, I’ve built passive income and financial independence through rental real estate. And while most listeners think this is a podcast about money, it’s really about a philosophy around life that is disguised as a finance podcast. Today, I get real about this whole money thing. I hope you follow along the mental journey with[…]
One TERRIBLE Piece of Financial Advice You Should Never, Ever Listen To
Launch into any money-related conversation and you’ll inevitably hear the following bad financial advice: “But it worked for me!” Those insidious five little words have been used to justify all types of terrible ideas, from buying lottery tickets to over-leveraging your investments to investing every last dime into Apple stock. Let’s try this one on for size: Common Sense: “Even if you find an awesome investment, spread your risk by picking a few other investments, as well. Rental properties are awesome, but even if you could make 20 percent cap rates, you should still keep a solid chunk of money in stock market index funds.” Retort: “But I put 150 percent of my savings in gold in the[…]
Why Being Yourself Is a Disruptive Act
We ought to spend time and money in a way that’s aligned with our values. In reality, our spending habits are often tied to other people’s expectations of us. **** Humans are social creatures. The people in our lives influence us, both consciously and in subtle ways we never realize. We decide that we “should” climb a career ladder, buy fancy appliances and live behind a white picket fence. There’s nothing wrong with these choices, as long as it’s a conscious, deliberate decision. Our only error is buckling to the expectation that we’re a failure if we don’t follow the script. But influence is a two-way street. If we break away from the[…]
