Imagine going to the grocery store to get some ideas on what to fix for a dinner party. As you’re pinching the fruit to test for ripeness, a man walks up to tell you that EVERYBODY needs to eat apples at least twice each day. Nonplussed, you meander to the bakery where a woman insists that all ciabatta bread is disgusting. Moving right along to the seafood aisle, a couple loudly proclaims that all dinner parties must serve grouper. It would be kinda ridiculous, wouldn’t it?
I think the same thing applies to a lot of what we read on the Internet. People’s opinions, good and bad, have a way of showing up and not all of it is applicable to you (you and your dinner guests may LOVE ciabatta bread!).
One size personal finance does not fit all
When I read the work of other bloggers or writers, I can see that each has taken their circumstances and played them to their advantage using the basic tenets of good money management. Personal finance IS personal!
Though there are some reliable guidelines, there are very few rules that are applicable to every person in every situation, so the next time you read a headline that says “everyone” or “all,” take it with a grain of salt.
By the numbers:
- 5 Practical Ways Anybody Can Become a Millionaire
- 5 Reasons You Need a Tax Professional
- 7 Bad Writing Habits You Learned in School
- 24 Ways to Help you Buy Cheap Used Books
- 5 Steps to Closing Old Bank Accounts
Personal development
- The Art of Forging Your Own Path
- the cruise, the bagel, and the black castle
- Optiphobia: Making Peace With Your Dreams (and Disappointments)
- Stop Waiting For Your Life To Be A Fairy Tale
- What’s Luck Got to Do with It?
Making the most of your money
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
Thanks for the link Ron!
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Very nice article. I think if we all “stick to the basics” then Personal Finance is pretty straight forward, but if we ignore these basics, we have to use tailored strategies to get back. Keep up the good work!
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Great list of links!
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I liked the list of personal development links the best. Thanks!
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Ron – I agree that flexibility is important, but I think there are also some immutable principles in personal finance and life in general that if we discount will come back to bite us. The truth is the truth whether we believe it or not. Thanks for the link!
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Ron 's reply:
November 1st, 2009
I agree — there ARE universal truths, but the problem is that there isn’t as much “truth” out there as most people would claim. Most of what is passed off as truth is actually an assessment of a particular situation or set of situations. For me personally, high interest credit card debt is a bad idea, but there are a few people out there who have used credit cards as financing for their business and it paid off. For something to be immutable or universal, it has to be true in all situations, otherwise, it’s an assessment.
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Thanks for the mention! I couldn’t agree more that the “personal” in personal finance is often overlooked – every person has different needs/wants/abilities/etc. that should influence how they manage money.
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