12 Financial Tips

It seems that money and banks and credit and retirement and spending and expenses and savings and income and wealth have been on My mind with greater intensity lately. (Must be the divorce...) In any case, this isn't anything new, as regular readers of Gil The Jenius can attest. What's different now is that it has become the lens through which I view everything.

Never fear: The Jenius has not become a money-grubbing Scrooge. What's happened is more a change in levels of perception. Before, money played a small role in deciding future actions or evaluating present ones. Now, money is a primary factor for all present actions and almost decidedly the most important factor for future ones.

Seeing as how I've "caused" the change, it's ludicrous to complain. But I am complaining. Seems as if the fun has gone out of My daily routine because, unlike most people, I don't associate money with fun. (Most of My favorite activities are low-cost or no-cost and for Me, shopping is a chore that ranks with swabbing latrines.) For years I've done mostly what's been interesting to Me; now everything I do is weighed against money, income or expenses and quite frankly, that sucks.

Then again, I no longer have the luxury of an income easily exceeding My expenses and savings. Even with few expenses, My work was geared heavily towards "future investment" and not "present income", so when the revenue stream runs dry, the future better get here fast or changes have to be made.

So, that's the problem: My safety net is cut. No wonder "everything" seems to be about money. (Yes, you just saw a self-therapy session. You still have 40 minutes left on your 50-minute "hour". Have some coffee.) And lo and behold, I find these little pieces of advice tucked into My daily Web-search routine.

From Bankrate, a top-notch website on personal finances, here's 12 Financial Tips for Women.

Say again?

Forget it. Here are the tips that apply to everyone:

12 Smart Moves to Make:

1. Set a financial goal.
2. Train yourself to be financially independent.
3. Buy your own home.
4. Fund your retirement account.
5. Plan for long-term not crisis management.
6. Start investing.
7. Don't fear risk.
8. Don't go it alone.
9. Get emotional support, if you need it.
10. Be more confident in salary negotiations.
11. Venture out of your financial comfort zone.
12. Know that it's never too late.

Read the article for a more comprehensive discussion of each Tip. They are pretty clear and I guess what The Jenius is feeling is a combination of #s 5, 9 and 11.

At least #12 tells Me I'm on the right track...


The Jenius Has Spoken.