The 7 Personal Finance Articles We Loved This Week

A lot of my job here at TFD is reading different people’s stories about work. How they negotiated a raise, why they left an unfulfilling job that at least gave them security, how they navigate office politics and issues with coworkers. I have an, admittedly, non-traditional work life. I come into the TFD office two or three times a week and spend the rest of my time at home, and while I work primarily for this site, I spend a lot of my time side hustling. I consider myself lucky to work mostly with an all-female team that I am lucky to call my friends as well as my team members.

And perhaps it comes from years spent burning through my DVDs of The Office, but I love talking about work. Not just my work — anyone’s. I’m a dedicated reader of Ask A Manager and am always eager to hear about what’s going on at my friends’ workplaces, regardless of whether that’s in a research lab or a coffee shop. Work takes up so much of our lives, and while some people think it’s boring to constantly be discussing work, I’m the opposite. Your work is both your livelihood and how you spend your days (or nights), and giving it emotional attention is, I think, necessary.

So when I read ESI‘s last pick this week from Climb Up The Ladder, I was intrigued. I love the idea that we have “limiting beliefs” that may be holding us back in the workplace, whether that be in our quest for more money or for a position we actually enjoy. I especially liked this snippet:

Think about yourself as a perfect person. Going back to our example about negotiating a raise and then your boss thinking you’re not a team player. If you were a perfect person, how would you handle this situation?

First off, you’d do such great work that your boss would be happy to give you a raise. You’d also know how to perfectly explain to your boss why you deserve a raise, such as doing more work than you were before, senior leaders noticing your great work, and presenting salary data that shows your new responsibilities warrant higher compensation. Finally, you’ll tell your boss that you love being a part of the team and want to take on more responsibility in the future to help the team even more. You’d also imagine your boss reacting positively to that negotiation.

While that won’t remove your fears, you’ll start to believe that maybe your limiting belief isn’t 100% true.

Be sure to check out the post in full, as well as the rest of this week’s great picks!

1. My Husband Died at Age 34. Here are 40 Life Lessons I’ve Learned. – Thrive Global

“A sudden, unanticipated death has a way of jolting us to our senses. When you’re told that your husband is dead, everything changes in an instant. Life as you know it will never be the same. It can be reinvented, reshaped into something different — but it’s never the same.”

2. The Best Money I’ve Ever Spent – The Luxe Strategist 

“I’m all about saving money, but I also think money’s meant to be spent. My money philosophy is simple: as long as you’re meeting your financial goals, then you can do whatever you want with the rest. Even if it’s something ‘frivolous’ like a $300 dinner.”

3. Ten Ways to Find Time for Your Side Hustle – ESI Money

“One of the key objections I often hear about starting a side hustle is ‘I don’t have the time.’ Several times throughout my life, even though I was very busy, I made the time to work on a side hustle to help us get where we wanted to be. So for those who would like a side hustle and think you just ‘don’t have the time for it’, I’m going to offer you ten ideas for finding that time.”

4. How to Define and Create Your Own Happiness – Growing My Pennies 

“Dream big and go after what you want. Make sure that you’ve defined your own goals and dreams and that you’re not achieving what someone else has defined for you.”

5. To Be Rich, Be Unpopular – Chris Reining 

“Why aren’t more people becoming rich? It’s because living within your means is hugely unpopular. The social pressure to keep score with how fancy your car is, the number of carats in your ring, or the square feet of your house, is really powerful.”

6. How to Take a Mini-Retirement And Love Your Life – Making Sense of Cents

“I just turned 35, and we are currently in our 5th mini-retirement. We have taken a few short ones (month long), some medium (6 months) and this one is going on two years now. Mini-Retirements might seem almost impossible, until you understand how to plan, prepare and execute them. After that, you’ll be able to sprinkle them in every few years and just maybe grow your net worth in the process!”

7. How to Overcome Limiting Beliefs in Your Career – Climb Up the Ladder 

“Limiting beliefs are mistaken assumptions that act as barriers to achieving what we want. While it’s not easy to overcome a limiting belief, it’s an important part of climbing up the ladder. If you let your fears stop you, you may look back at your career when you retire and wish you had done more to reach your goals.”

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