A Daily Celebration

April is National Financial Literacy Month.

“Great! What does that mean for me?” your inquiring mind wants to know. So glad you asked!

“Financial Literacy Month is not only a celebration but is a challenge. This is your opportunity to review your finances and gradually improve them. The Financial Literacy Month was first recognized in the U.S.A in April 2004. This was done to highlight the importance of being financially literate and to make people learn about the ways and techniques that can help them in becoming financially smart” (NationalToday.com).

I mean no disrespect to the 108th United States Congress or President George W. Bush (again, NationalToday.com), but your finances deserve more attention than 30 days a year. I must say that I'm not sure it's accurate or fiscally responsible to use the words "Congress" and "financially smart" in the same sentence. Did I say that out loud?

In honor of National Financial Literacy Month, we also want to issue you a challenge. Commit to yourself to be proactive on a daily basis to take total control of your financial future. Follow this blog. Go back and read previously-given advice. Budget. Pay attention to your money because if you ignore it, like your teeth, it will go away.

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Books Equal Bucks

In November PBS always hosts their Annual Reading Marathon . “Wow. That’s the second time this month that our financial blogger has gone off the rails regarding blog topics. What does reading have to do with finances?” My answer? Everything. Establishing good reading habits in children–reading 20 minutes a day–can literally change their financial future. Good readers do better in school. Good readers are more likely to graduate from high school. Good readers will probably make more money as adults. Reading changes EVERYTHING . That being said, books can be expensive, but they don’t have to be. Libraries are some of the best resources for book access–they play SUCH an important role in our community. You can also share/trade books with your neighbors, friends, and family members (just make sure you have a good system for tracking book ownership). Second-hand stores or garage sales are awesome places to s...

Bon Voyage

Many of you are aware that I like to travel. I’ve had the pleasure of visiting a few foreign countries and taking a handful of cruises, and I intend to do more in the not-to-distant future. Because you know me, you know I don’t finance these trips–I plan ahead and save for them. And if you’ve followed my blog for a while, you are also aware that I do use one credit card for which I earn flight miles, and I use this card on the trips where I see the world. There is one thing about my credit card for which I am especially grateful–whenever there is suspicious activity on my account, I get a text notification. The credit card company recognizes that charges abroad MIGHT NOT BE LEGIT, and they send me a message. All I have to do is confirm that it is, in fact, me that made the peculiar purchase, and I’m good to go. If I did not make the purchase, I respond in kind, and my card is deactivated. Note to self and others: one could avoid these potential interruptions if one calls credit car...

The Marshmallow Experiment

In 1972, Stanford did a study about delayed gratification with children. It involved giant marshmallows and testing their patience. You can see a short YouTube video about the study here . Basically, the kids who could sit alone with a giant marshmallow without eating it for a certain length of time were rewarded with a second giant marshmallow. Fun, huh? Some kids could be patient and reap the rewards; some could not. I was a small child when the study was conducted, and I wonder which side I might have been on. I HAVE learned to be pretty patient as an adult. One of the areas in which I’ve seen improvement is in finances. I have become a good money manager–I could be paid once annually and budget so that I won’t run out before year’s end, including having enough money to pay my own quarterly taxes–self-employed people do that. Speaking of taxes, I try not to overpay so that I qualify for a “refund,” because the government does not practice The Marshmallow Experiment. Huh? ...

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