Written by Gary Foreman

The Dollar Stretcher Blog

I’ve often heard it said that the longest distance is between the human head and the human heart. What is meant is that there are many things that we know intellectually. We understand them and have no doubt that they’re true. But, we still have trouble acting on them. In other words, our heart doesn’t know the same truth.

How many of us suffer the same thing in our financial affairs? We know we should budget or begin saving for retirement. But we can’t seem to do it. Intellectually we know what we should be doing. But we just can’t get going on it. Our heart isn’t in the program.

One way to identify when our minds and hearts aren’t in sync is to notice what financial decisions make us uncomfortable. What financial activities make our palms sweat? Our hearts beat faster? Make our stomach quesy? When we feel uneasy about a financial event that’s a clue that it’s an area that we need to examine.

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How do you envision your retirement? Would you like to spend your time relaxing on a remote beach in a tropical paradise? Perhaps traveling throughout Europe with your life partner is another goal. How about working at McDonald’s and  living off payday loans? Sadly the last option is what most American’s end up doing with their golden years. There is a way to actually make your dreams a reality. In this article I will discuss a few personal finance basics and tips for your retirement savings.

START EARLY:

For the most part we all have similar dreams but each of has a unique approach to how we hope to achieve them. The best way to realize your goals is to start early. The earlier the better. It’s never too late to start planning for your retirement. Compounding interest is a very powerful aid when it comes to financial planning. For those who start saving for their retirement in the 20′s can create a large nest egg with relative ease as long as regular contributions are made.

SAVING VEHICLES:

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It’s no secret that having children can be one of the most exciting, daring, enjoyable and frustrating things any adult will ever do. It’s also a pretty well known fact that kids are very, very expensive. With the cost of diapers summer camp, football, dance class, clothes food and college (just to name a few), your standard of living will change. Below are a few tips to help you learn about your kids and how to manage money.



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