I Will Teach…

Well, it this post, I will not be teaching you anything in this post. Look out for another post of which I may teach you something. In this post however, I will be telling you to get your finances in order. I am in my last year of graduate school, so I need to make sure I’m ready to really start adulting. I’m mean guys, I’m been on the job search grind and trying to teach myself new skills to make myself look more useful. It’s been stressful. However, since I’m getting ready to get a pay raise off of a student break, I figured it’s really time to learn to handle my money by reading I will Teach You To Be Rich by Ramit Sethi

First, a couple of disclaimers. I have previously listened to his podcasts while being on of those people who never read his books, after watching the Netflix docuseries about how other people spend their money. What can I say other than I’m sure nosy. I have been learning a lot about personal finance in the last couple of years, so while there wasn’t much “new” information for me to learn, it was interesting to learn about some to the systems that others put in the place. It was also very comforting for someone to tell me that my system can be “good enough” as a recovering perfectionist. Yes, there is probably more that I could do, but do I have to? No.

I will also admit that I don’t get Ramit’s difference between a budget and a conscious spending plan. I’ve heard him describe it a couple of times, and I just don’t get it. I’ll continue to not get it as something that works for some people since “budget” is often seen as an ugly word. Either way you look at it, you should also get your finances it order, and remember that just because the holiday season is upon us, doesn’t mean its the perfect time to get into debt.

Learning Money the Nerdy Way

Every year, I try to read at least one book on financial literacy. Here, in the US, it is a sorely undertaught subject, that really should. The first time I had to fill out a tax return, I was nearly sent into a panic attack. I do my best, not to understand everything there is to know, but I want to at least understand the basics. There are people who go to school for years to actually understand everything this. This time around, I read Stacked: You Super-Serious Guide to Modern Money Management Joe Saul-Sehy and Emily Guy Birken.

The “super-serious” book is written in the style of one of my old girl scout badge manuals. It gives all of the basics of personal finance without going to far in depth requiring your to constantly look things up. There are also “achievements” for every aspect of going through your finances. It gives you step-by-step guide on how you should handle researching for yourself the best strategies to implement. There is no size fits all method, but at least there is some comic relief from the musings of the very nerdy authors (my favorite kind). I would definitely suggest reading this book whether it is your first ever personal finance book or you need a refresher. It’s not dry, and will keep you every engaged.