Inside this edition: Are what I consider to be the first three steps to building financial security.
Hey y’all! It’s me – your girl Rainey here to share some of my wisdom with YOU – my tribe – The Rainey Crew. As adults and as parents we have a responsibility to teach our children and others how to manage money especially if we have found success building financial security. However, too often we do not talk about money with our kids, and it’s a shame, but I feel that it starts with us to break that cycle with this generation.
Thinking back to my youth I wanted figure out who talked to me about money, and how that set the standards for how I deal with my finances today. I believe I have identified what I feel are the first three steps to being financially responsible and building financial security based on the people who influenced me
SAVE YOUR MONEY
My mother and father never talked to me about money or household finances in terms of how much they made, hence what I did learn from them was solely by observation. Anytime my parents wanted to make a major purchase like a car or an appliance they always saved for it. They did not have credit cards, they never took out loans, and they did not utilize store credit options. Anything they needed they saved for. Today, we are culture of instant gratification, and are willing to put our souls on credit to get what we want without really thinking of the consequences.
Before making a purchase first ask yourself a few questions. First, if this is a “want” or a “need”. Too often we make purchases based on a desire of want thereby spending what we don’t really have. Second, take another step back and ask yourself, do you need to make the purchase right now, is it on sale, or should you do some comparison shopping first. This action slows down the impulse reaction of buying the bright and shiny items, and the lure of advertising magnets.
Finally, if you cannot make this purchase without the aid of a credit card, can you save for it, and how long will it take you to save for it. Compare those answers to how long it would take you to pay it off if you bought it on credit. The important things I learned from my parents is the importance of saving for what I need, and making smart decisions before making necessary and impulse purchases. Just taking a breath before you make big financial decisions can help you build your financial security.
BUDGETING YOUR FINANCES
My sister is eight years older than I, and while I was still in elementary school she was starting off in the work force. What I remember that still sticks with me today is little brown envelopes. She used to get paid monthly, and in cash. There were no ATMs back then and no laptops with spreadsheets. She would go to the bank to cash her check, and she would bring home a specific amount of money. She would then sit on her bed with little brown envelopes and write on the envelopes, transportation, car payment, insurance etc.
Today, there are endless tools out in the cyber universe to help you do what my sister’s little brown envelopes used to do for her all those years ago. There are spreadsheets you can print out, and most banks with an online presence even offer those tools as part of account ownership. Budgeting is the first step to financial security. It is all about accountability and acknowledging awareness that you know where your money is going each week, bi-week or monthly. Too often we spend our paychecks without really understanding where the money goes, and are frequently surprised that we are short on money or overdrawn on our accounts.
Pay Yourself First
The number one take-away that any pay earner should do starting today is to pay yourself first. I have direct deposit and I have it set up that a fraction of my pay goes to a savings account or some type of investment account. You cannot miss what you never had in your hands. You will find your self with a sizeable nest egg or emergency fund if you put money aside that way. Now, you work with what you have to pay those monthly expenses. Similarly, another practice I find helpful is to pay my bills as soon as the paycheck hits my account. That way I know exactly what I have to work with until the next pay cycle, and again I cannot spend what I do not have, and my bills are always paid on time.
RESPECT YOUR MONEY
My final financial role model I discovered in my late twenties was Suze Orman. If you don’t know who Suze Orman is get those Google fingers moving. I watched Suze Orman on Oprah in the nineties, and Suze took finances to a whole next level for me. It was Suze that taught me about investing and that anybody, and I mean anybody had the ability to invest, and boy did she show us how. This may seem corny to most, but Suze speaks about respecting your money. When you are respectful of your money you find that money is drawn to you and grows. When you don’t take care of it, or you don’t know where it is going you will find it does not grow, and you never understand why you can’t find it, or why you never have enough.
It starts with simple things like how you organize the money in your wallet, with bills stacked neatly from highest to lowest and facing the correct direction. Sounds a little anal I know, but it has always worked for me. Clean out that handbag every week and gather your loose change. I never keep more than a dollar’s worth of loose change in my bag. Everything else is saved in a piggy bank at home.
Even in this era where we find more and more that cash is no longer king you can still keep a clean wallet. If you do have credit cards do not walk around with more than one. Again, you cannot spend what you do not have on you. As a rule I carry one credit card, one debit card, and a certain amount of cash as emergency funds. My wallet is physically light, but yet virtually full.
FINAL THOUGHTS
So, what kind of financial role model are you going to be for your friends and family. Being financially responsible does not mean being stingy, not tipping well, or depriving yourself of nice things. It means being aware of what you spend, putting yourself first, and taking care of what you have so you can build for your future.
Unlike my parents do I talk to my kids about money, and to think before they spend. It is important to have those conversations especially when they are out shopping with you. Explain why or why not you decided to make a purchase, or why you decided to choose one item in the grocery over another. They will remember just like I did so many years later. They will share with their own kids how to build their own financial security.