Funny Money Friday: Real, Simple Financial Advice
Money doesn't have to be boring! Each week, CreditBloggers.com takes a look at the lighter side of the personal finance world in a series called Funny Money Friday.
I've spent entirely too much time this week researching "financial celebrities." You know the type: the Learning Annex speakers who promise to make you a millionaire in one weekend for $299, the personal finance authors whose book covers come covered in all caps and lime green quotes, the experts who will show you how to get rich for only $49.95. Donald Trump, Tony Robbins, David Bach, Robert Kiyosaki, Suze Orman, Dave Ramsey, Jim Cramer...it's enough to make you dizzy!
After all of this, it was so refreshing to revisit Scott Adams' simple 9-point financial plan. Adams, the creator of Dilbert, outlined this plan in his book "Dilbert and the Way of the Weasel:"
- Make a will
- Pay off your credit cards
- Get term life insurance if you have a family to support
- Fund your 401k to the maximum
- Fund your IRA to the maximum
- Buy a house if you want to live in a house and can afford it
- Put six months worth of expenses in a money-market account
- Take whatever money is left over and invest 70% in a stock index fund and 30% in a bond fund through any discount broker and never touch it until retirement
- If any of this confuses you, or you have something special going on (retirement, college planning, tax issues), hire a fee-based financial planner, not one who charges a percentage of your portfolio
- Know your credit scores
I would add one more easy tip to this list:
That's about it! That was 100% free and you didn't have to sit in a hotel conference room all weekend. I feel better already :) Happy Friday!
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