Identifying and Eradicating Financially Destructive Behaviors
As a vegetable gardener, if I don’t bring three contenders for the harvest into subjection early in the growing season, I labor without pay to feed weeds, rodents and bugs. Each does its share to encroach upon, and ultimately consume the precious fruit of my labors! We live in a materialistic society which measures economic output primarily by consumer spending, not investment or production, but personal consumption. Modern Americans enjoy, and, therefore, must pay for many comforts and conveniences not available to former generations, and yet think of them as necessities. Acknowledge and eradicate the financial behavior patterns which, when added to the materialistic and inflationary dynamics of our culture, increase the probability a financial hardship will occur during one’s retirement.
Buying a new car. I lost $5,000 on the only new car I ever bought driving out of the dealership and couldn’t have burned the money as fast! Consider a certified, three-year-old Japanese-built vehicle with under 50,000 miles, and use your large savings to pay-off consumer debt, build emergency savings in a high interest savings account, or make a wise investment.
Ungoverned daily indulgences. A $5 daily latte at Starbucks equals $152/month, which invested at 8% over 25 years makes the retirement account $144,022 larger. Abstaining from simple enjoyments isn’t required, but knowing the long-term financial impact of habitual behaviors is prudent.
Insufficient emergency savings results in consumer debt, 401(k) loans, and taxable IRA distributions (which are sometimes penalized). Carry 6-9 months of total annual household spending in a high interest bank account or money market fund for emergencies and quickly rebuild it when it falls below this threshold.
Consumer debt forever nibbles on the fringes of your wealth-building efforts, and far more than you realize. Don’t ever carry consumer debt voluntarily.
Borrowing from a 401(k) is generally inadvisable for several reasons. Since bull markets last longer than bear markets on average, most loans are repaid at higher prices, more than negating the benefit of paying the interest to yourself. In a loss of one’s job loan payments must continue, and the plan account can’t be rolled over unless the loan is first repaid.
Having appropriately sized emergency savings without earning a competitive interest rate or having too much in emergency savings are both counter-productive behaviors, especially in an inflationary culture. The former forfeits market rates on the time value of money while the latter puts too little return on too great an amount.
Generosity is commendable, but voluntarily giving beyond one’s ability can be consequential. Know your future needs first.
The goal of wealth-building efforts are stewardship and provision, not miserly living or wealth itself. Behaviors to identify and eradicate are those which a) prevent a family from becoming financially independent, or b) can meaningfully damage or destroy one’s retirement. The simple solution is to plan wisely, prioritize retirement savings, and avoid financially destructive behaviors.
Think about it, Shaun.
“Precious treasure and oil are in a wise man’s dwelling, but a foolish man devours it” ~Proverbs 21:20
“For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down to count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it.” ~Luke 14:28
This material is for general information only and is not intended to provide specific advice or recommendations for any individual. There is no assurance that the views or strategies discussed are suitable for all investors or will yield positive outcomes. Investing involves risks including possible loss of principal. Any opinions or forecasts contained herein reflect the subjective judgments and assumptions of the author.
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