Hello comadre. How has your quarantine been going? What are those thoughts running through your mind lately? Son muchas preguntas de dinero, huh? Am I safe if we have another shutdown? How am I doing financially? If I were to ask you, what your relationship with money is, what would you say to me? Take your time to think about it a little bit.
Pensándolo bien, there are only three major ways you can answer me:
- My relationship with money is good– I have a savings account, a retirement account, a cushiony savings, and a great credit score. I have my sh*t under control.
- My relationship with money is alright– I have a decent amount of money in the bank. I don’t have a retirement account yet but I’m working on it. My credit score isn’t the greatest but I’m doing my best. I’m trying to have my sh*t on track.
- What relationship? I do what I want with my money. Didn’t I work hard to get it? – AKA- My relationship with money is toxic. I make financial decisions based on impulsiveness and my emotions. My stuff has taken control of me.
According to a Forbes article written in 2019, 78% of people that live in the US are living paycheck to paycheck.
Honey if this struggle rings a bell, then I’m gonna say you’re #3. If you’re #1 de todo corazón I praise you mujer, and hope you send this article to someone who may need it.
In times like the ones we are living in now, it is crucial, CRUCIAL for us to know how to have a good relationship with money. It’s like anything else in life. How much effort we put in is how much reward we will receive.
Below te dejo some tips on how to improve your relationship with your dinero.
- Social Media: For awesome tips and advice on finances follow some great pages on social media. Each page shares unique info about finances including articles, quotes, and tips on saving, managing money and more!
Pages: @thefinancialgym
@financialprofessional
@thefinancialdiet
- Reading: Read more books on financial literacy. Leaders are readers and if you want to gain more understanding about how your dollars work, please do yourself a favor and read more.
A few books I recommend:
- I Will Teach You to Be Rich – By Ramit Sethi
The book gives simple advice in understanding credit score and knowing how to use a credit card to the best of your advantage, among other important day to day money info. The tips in this book are really what we should have learned in high school about money.
- Rich Dad, Poor Dad – by Robert Kiyosaki
This book helps us understand the different ways money is made, and how readers can learn to generate money differently than traditional employment. - Total Money Makeover – by Dave Ramsey
If you have no idea where to start in getting control of your money, this book is the first to read! This book gives step by step instructions to help people get out debt and learn to save for rainy days and retirement.
- Money management: There are several apps that help you keep track of your debts, expenses, and savings, so you understand where your money is going monthly down to the last penny. Download a few and use them to decide which one fits your needs the most. I personally use Mint because it has been the most user friendly in my experience. It’s easy to navigate and tells me how much I owe. The app gives me a breakdown of my bills and expenses and keeps me organized. But there is other software you can check out.
- Goals: Decide what your ultimate goals with money are. Do you want to be able to eat out every day? Is opening a business a motivation you would like to pursue? Do you want to buy a house in the future? Do you want to travel abroad? Is purchasing a car in the near road ahead? Based on your personal desires, decide what percentage of each paycheck you receive, you want to designate to that specific goal.
Amiga, this has been a small talk on your relationship with money and how to improve it. I will be back soon, because like any good relationship there is always something new to tell! I hope the information I have provided for you here is useful and beneficial.
Úsalo! <3
De Corazón,
Karla Beatrice Andrade