mindgraffiti

Bah to all this blabber about taxes. I hate taxes. I know how to file my taxes. What I and many others do not have is the bigger picture: how to handle one’s finances. I stumbled along on my own, learning by getting burned by the fire and skinning a few of my knees skinning my knees a few times until I entered college, where the money thing gets serious. Ever since I have made an effort to educate myself on how money works [for and against me].

So to do my part, I’m listing a few places I like to visit.

Get Rich Slowly - I’ve fallen for my fair share of get rich quick schemes thanks to parents who do not have a handle on their finances. The idea of getting rich slowly was positively revolutionary to me because I had never considered it. As a kid, I thought one was either born rich or became rich in an instant (a la Powerball, becoming famous, etc). J.D. Roth walks his readers through the past financial mistakes he has made and his current financial struggles, all the while sprinkling the path to a stable financial future with good books to read and multiple online resources to expand everyone’s financial literacy.

Make Love, Not Debt - Him and Her are preparing to get married, and their current net worth (as of this month) is -$60,964.42. Him and Her offer candid posts about their relationship with each other and their combined finances. I have found some good suggestions on how to handle my relationship and finances from Him and Her’s stories.

Generation X Finance - Lots of good information targeted at Generation X in particular, but also plenty of general financial information for everyone else. Jeremy does a great job of responding to e-mails, too. I had a particular question dealing with my 401(k) that I could not find answers to, and he responded with helpful advice and pointed me towards more resources where I could do my own research.

Make your financial education a little less painful. Learn by example, not by mistake. If I learned anything, it is that learning by mistakes made is a horrible, painful route!