Saturday, February 12, 2011

personal finance money management

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Housing Affordability Index, NAR-Home Sales by QuizzleTown


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New York Yankees <b>News</b> and Notes: 2/12/2011 - Pinstripe Alley

Your best source for quality New York Yankees news, rumors, analysis, stats and scores from the fan perspective.

Fox <b>News</b>&#39; Ron Paul Problem - How Fox Spun Ron Paul&#39;s CPAC 2010 <b>...</b>

If you're wondering, how the Conservative media outlet, Fox News, would cover this year's ongoing CPAC event, and which Republican they'll push forward to be the potential candidate to take on President Obama in the 2012 Presidential ...

Arrowheadlines: Chiefs <b>News</b> 2/12 - Arrowhead Pride

Good morning Chiefs fans. Happy Weekend! A very short Arrowheadlines this morning. Not a lot of Kansas City Chiefs news out there. Enjoy.


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Housing Affordability Index, NAR-Home Sales by QuizzleTown


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New York Yankees <b>News</b> and Notes: 2/12/2011 - Pinstripe Alley

Your best source for quality New York Yankees news, rumors, analysis, stats and scores from the fan perspective.

Fox <b>News</b>&#39; Ron Paul Problem - How Fox Spun Ron Paul&#39;s CPAC 2010 <b>...</b>

If you're wondering, how the Conservative media outlet, Fox News, would cover this year's ongoing CPAC event, and which Republican they'll push forward to be the potential candidate to take on President Obama in the 2012 Presidential ...

Arrowheadlines: Chiefs <b>News</b> 2/12 - Arrowhead Pride

Good morning Chiefs fans. Happy Weekend! A very short Arrowheadlines this morning. Not a lot of Kansas City Chiefs news out there. Enjoy.


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New York Yankees <b>News</b> and Notes: 2/12/2011 - Pinstripe Alley

Your best source for quality New York Yankees news, rumors, analysis, stats and scores from the fan perspective.

Fox <b>News</b>&#39; Ron Paul Problem - How Fox Spun Ron Paul&#39;s CPAC 2010 <b>...</b>

If you're wondering, how the Conservative media outlet, Fox News, would cover this year's ongoing CPAC event, and which Republican they'll push forward to be the potential candidate to take on President Obama in the 2012 Presidential ...

Arrowheadlines: Chiefs <b>News</b> 2/12 - Arrowhead Pride

Good morning Chiefs fans. Happy Weekend! A very short Arrowheadlines this morning. Not a lot of Kansas City Chiefs news out there. Enjoy.


bench craft company

New York Yankees <b>News</b> and Notes: 2/12/2011 - Pinstripe Alley

Your best source for quality New York Yankees news, rumors, analysis, stats and scores from the fan perspective.

Fox <b>News</b>&#39; Ron Paul Problem - How Fox Spun Ron Paul&#39;s CPAC 2010 <b>...</b>

If you're wondering, how the Conservative media outlet, Fox News, would cover this year's ongoing CPAC event, and which Republican they'll push forward to be the potential candidate to take on President Obama in the 2012 Presidential ...

Arrowheadlines: Chiefs <b>News</b> 2/12 - Arrowhead Pride

Good morning Chiefs fans. Happy Weekend! A very short Arrowheadlines this morning. Not a lot of Kansas City Chiefs news out there. Enjoy.


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Housing Affordability Index, NAR-Home Sales by QuizzleTown


bench craft company
bench craft company

New York Yankees <b>News</b> and Notes: 2/12/2011 - Pinstripe Alley

Your best source for quality New York Yankees news, rumors, analysis, stats and scores from the fan perspective.

Fox <b>News</b>&#39; Ron Paul Problem - How Fox Spun Ron Paul&#39;s CPAC 2010 <b>...</b>

If you're wondering, how the Conservative media outlet, Fox News, would cover this year's ongoing CPAC event, and which Republican they'll push forward to be the potential candidate to take on President Obama in the 2012 Presidential ...

Arrowheadlines: Chiefs <b>News</b> 2/12 - Arrowhead Pride

Good morning Chiefs fans. Happy Weekend! A very short Arrowheadlines this morning. Not a lot of Kansas City Chiefs news out there. Enjoy.


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There are only 4 MUSTs when it comes to managing money.

1. We MUST spend less than we earn.
Anything else is simply irresponsible. By spending less than we earn we are able to save money for the future. Not just for distant future goals like retirement but for near term goals such as buying a giant TV or taking a luxury cruise. The consequence of spending more than we earn is debt.

2. We MUST treat debt with the utmost respect and work to avoid it.
It's unlikely that we'll be able to avoid all debt all the time. Most of us can't afford to buy a house without taking on mortgage debt. But on the other hand, there is absolutely no excuse for racking up thousands of dollars of credit card debt.

3. We MUST create and maintain a solid emergency fund.
Over the course of our lives bad things will happen to us (e.g. illnesses and layoffs). The emergency fund is there to buffer us from those hardships and keep us afloat until we can get back on our feet.

4. We MUST maintain balance between our current and future needs and wants.
Spending all of our income as soon as we get it is just as irresponsible as hoarding our money until death. Money is nothing more than a tool (one of many) that we use to bring value and meaning into our lives. To that end we must realize that every saving and spending decision that we make reflects a trade off between what we want now and what we will want in the future. For example, do we forgo the iPhone in favor of retirement savings? Do we travel the world at the expense of additional retirement savings?

The first three MUSTs are the easiest. They are clearly defined and goal oriented.

To approach the fourth point you know yourself and to have some idea about the things that will provide value and meaning to you. Once you have those outlined you begin applying the principles of personal finance to make them a reality. The final thing to remember about the fourth point is that we must use personal finance techniques not only to ensure that our immediate wants are satisfied but to ensure that we have enough money saved up so that we can live a comfortable and exciting life in retirement as well.

If we fail at achieving balance then we may wind up living the high life while we are young and living hand to mouth in retirement. Or we may end up living a boring and meaningless life for decades but dying with millions in the bank.


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