A completely selfish wish, but since I've been unemployed for over a year now, all my debts paid. I would love the chance to start fresh, to build up savings, buy a house, start a family, etc.
We have 3 adults, 1 child, 2 cats, and a Labrador living in a 920 sq. ft. home, and we're adding another adult! It's a bit tight at times, but we manage. (3 bedroom, living room, eat-in kitchen, 1 full bath, and a half basement) We really need more cabinet space in the kitchen, and more storage throughout. If we fix those simple problems we can live quite comfortably.
Having only one wish is hard! Being it's only one, and has to relate to finances, I'll pick a selfish one. I would wish for enough money to buy a home on the ocean in NJ. We could use it now on weekends and holidays, and eventually retire there.
I would wish that I had been educated about personal finance when I was younger (in high school would have been good) so that now, when my own kids are in high school, I would not have so much debt & I would be a good example for my teens (even though we are working on paying off debt, now that we know better). :)
They make budgeting so easy, and I've never managed money as well as I do with Mint. Only problem (if you can call it that) is that since it's e-linked to all credit and banking accounts (and automatically files and labels purchases, applying them to your monthly budget as you go), using cash really messes with the system. I still carry cash for group dinners and farmers markets, but I use cards for EVERYTHING else.
My wish would be to get enough money to pay off what is left of my debt, my mom's debt and house and my in-law's debt and house. Then we could all be free to use our money to save for our many financial goals
That's an easy one. I'd wish for cash to go to my son's tooth fund. He's missing 18 of his adult teeth and will eventually need bridgework and implants. The dentist told us it would end up costing us over $40,000!
I don't live extravagantly, but the two things I do see the need to spend money on are education and travel (which usually is an educational experience in itself). If I had enough money to keep learning and going new places, that would be amazing, and really it would be like continually investing in myself, and never having to stop. Well, we can all dream.
I wish that my church would grow to the point where they could hire me on as staff. Right now I'm a volunteer minister and work three jobs to make ends meet. If the church could pay me, then I could quit one or two of those jobs and devote more time to the ministry.
I planned to use my HSA to pay for eye glasses and it was one of the best decisions I could've made! I fell in love with some frames that were a bit out of my price range, but luckily, I had saved money in my HSA and was good to go. I'd recommend the staff at Techridge Vision in Austin - http://www.techridgevision.com - they're great!
I wish I could win powerball! I would pay off all my remaining debt and make sure all of my family and friends were well cared for. What a great dream :)
Most people do lottery not only because they want the large sum of money, but they want it INSTANTLY. I like your approach that our lottery ticket is to be financial freedom but it is way harder than it sounds for most of us. Many people live off paycheck to paycheck and struggle to look for future because they need to live TODAY.
You could have gone little deeper with '5 things we could do today' part, those are pretty much 'duh, we all know that' points. What many people need is practical approach and discipline to sustain those action items so they can work towards financial freedom. The 5th point of 'you only live once' doesn't really go with 'pay off debt' or 'make more than spend'. You're saying, since we only live once, we should go and do things we like/passionate about even though it'll cost us money and bring us in deeper holes? This only applies to those making millions and can afford to go buckwild without worrying about breaking the bank account. Most average joes can't even afford to go on one-great vacation a year because they cost so much. What would you want us to do? Save up or spend them? Just my thoughts.
1: Cash transactions require math skills in the form of counting change, something all too often lost on the teens manning the mall shop or fast food place.
2. Cash doesn't offer rewards the way many debit cards do (ignoring credit cards for the sake of the fact that it takes discipline to pay it off at the end of the month). With my meager income I can still use my debit card enough to earn more than $100 in cash returns over a year's time.
3. It is sometimes possible to access funds faster with a debit card than cash, if your bank doesn't allow ATM withdrawals on pending deposits but will allow card purchases.
4. Paying for gas with cash is a pain in the neck.
5. ATM fees can eat up a large chunk of your money when retrieving cash for your purchases.
6. You might miss a deal if you don't have enough cash on you at the time. Although admittedly this can be a positive of cash also, forcing you (at least temporarily) to stick to a budget.
As with many things, weigh the pros and cons that are important to you and find a balance. :)
Get an overview of various investment options such stocks, gold, real estate. Investing our money in good investment option is very important. Read good books, good articles. Decide a plan and stick to it. Analyze how much money you can invest and for how much period of time.
Wow. I am going to try my best to steer clear of this, because it's despicable, even for an online digital product. Apple is clearly aware of this, just wants to avoid punishing the buyer.
Well, now I know that when we had some problems and found a surprising 10 $50 charges for ITunes, we know why now.
I wish I could afford to send my daughter's partner to an endometriosis specialist so she wouldn't be in the everyday pain she's in.
I would wish for the money to buy my daughter a house, free & clear. :)
A completely selfish wish, but since I've been unemployed for over a year now, all my debts paid. I would love the chance to start fresh, to build up savings, buy a house, start a family, etc.
More people carrying cash = more crime.
Europe and Australia have this figured out, North and South America don't.
We have 3 adults, 1 child, 2 cats, and a Labrador living in a 920 sq. ft. home, and we're adding another adult! It's a bit tight at times, but we manage. (3 bedroom, living room, eat-in kitchen, 1 full bath, and a half basement) We really need more cabinet space in the kitchen, and more storage throughout. If we fix those simple problems we can live quite comfortably.
For Capital One to be Capital Zero! I owe them way too much money :(
Having only one wish is hard! Being it's only one, and has to relate to finances, I'll pick a selfish one. I would wish for enough money to buy a home on the ocean in NJ. We could use it now on weekends and holidays, and eventually retire there.
I would wish that I had been educated about personal finance when I was younger (in high school would have been good) so that now, when my own kids are in high school, I would not have so much debt & I would be a good example for my teens (even though we are working on paying off debt, now that we know better). :)
The primary reason I don't use cash? Mint.com .
They make budgeting so easy, and I've never managed money as well as I do with Mint. Only problem (if you can call it that) is that since it's e-linked to all credit and banking accounts (and automatically files and labels purchases, applying them to your monthly budget as you go), using cash really messes with the system. I still carry cash for group dinners and farmers markets, but I use cards for EVERYTHING else.
I would wish my mortgage to be paid for so we could be more generous in other areas of our lives...
My wish would be to get enough money to pay off what is left of my debt, my mom's debt and house and my in-law's debt and house. Then we could all be free to use our money to save for our many financial goals
That's an easy one. I'd wish for cash to go to my son's tooth fund. He's missing 18 of his adult teeth and will eventually need bridgework and implants. The dentist told us it would end up costing us over $40,000!
I don't live extravagantly, but the two things I do see the need to spend money on are education and travel (which usually is an educational experience in itself). If I had enough money to keep learning and going new places, that would be amazing, and really it would be like continually investing in myself, and never having to stop. Well, we can all dream.
I wish that my church would grow to the point where they could hire me on as staff. Right now I'm a volunteer minister and work three jobs to make ends meet. If the church could pay me, then I could quit one or two of those jobs and devote more time to the ministry.
I planned to use my HSA to pay for eye glasses and it was one of the best decisions I could've made! I fell in love with some frames that were a bit out of my price range, but luckily, I had saved money in my HSA and was good to go. I'd recommend the staff at Techridge Vision in Austin - http://www.techridgevision.com - they're great!
Extra money to set aside for my son's college!
peace and happiness for my girl
I wish I could win powerball! I would pay off all my remaining debt and make sure all of my family and friends were well cared for. What a great dream :)
my only financial wish is to keep mr. murphy (murphy's law) out of my way.
i will handle the rest. . .
I would have no debt.
I would wish to have the college tuition for all my future kids paid off, have no mortgage, and no car payments. Basically, debt free!
Most people do lottery not only because they want the large sum of money, but they want it INSTANTLY. I like your approach that our lottery ticket is to be financial freedom but it is way harder than it sounds for most of us. Many people live off paycheck to paycheck and struggle to look for future because they need to live TODAY.
You could have gone little deeper with '5 things we could do today' part, those are pretty much 'duh, we all know that' points. What many people need is practical approach and discipline to sustain those action items so they can work towards financial freedom. The 5th point of 'you only live once' doesn't really go with 'pay off debt' or 'make more than spend'. You're saying, since we only live once, we should go and do things we like/passionate about even though it'll cost us money and bring us in deeper holes? This only applies to those making millions and can afford to go buckwild without worrying about breaking the bank account. Most average joes can't even afford to go on one-great vacation a year because they cost so much. What would you want us to do? Save up or spend them? Just my thoughts.
On the other hand:
1: Cash transactions require math skills in the form of counting change, something all too often lost on the teens manning the mall shop or fast food place.
2. Cash doesn't offer rewards the way many debit cards do (ignoring credit cards for the sake of the fact that it takes discipline to pay it off at the end of the month). With my meager income I can still use my debit card enough to earn more than $100 in cash returns over a year's time.
3. It is sometimes possible to access funds faster with a debit card than cash, if your bank doesn't allow ATM withdrawals on pending deposits but will allow card purchases.
4. Paying for gas with cash is a pain in the neck.
5. ATM fees can eat up a large chunk of your money when retrieving cash for your purchases.
6. You might miss a deal if you don't have enough cash on you at the time. Although admittedly this can be a positive of cash also, forcing you (at least temporarily) to stick to a budget.
As with many things, weigh the pros and cons that are important to you and find a balance. :)
Get an overview of various investment options such stocks, gold, real estate. Investing our money in good investment option is very important. Read good books, good articles. Decide a plan and stick to it. Analyze how much money you can invest and for how much period of time.
Wow. I am going to try my best to steer clear of this, because it's despicable, even for an online digital product. Apple is clearly aware of this, just wants to avoid punishing the buyer.
Well, now I know that when we had some problems and found a surprising 10 $50 charges for ITunes, we know why now.