The 7 Personal Finance Articles We Loved This Week
It’s Thursday, and you know what that means: time for another round of awesome personal finance articles hand-picked by ESI of Rockstar Finance!
I am one of those people who loves New Year’s resolutions, but this year, I decided to start mine early. I don’t want to jinx it, but I’ve been on a really great exercise streak for the past few weeks, which is something I’m looking to carry into 2019. And how did I actually make myself start exercising 4-5 days a week? I did a lot of self-reflection. I realized I needed to give myself some monetary motivation, so I joined ClassPass — which charges you if you cancel a class within 12 hours of the start time. If I don’t show up, it will literally cost me, and that’s exactly the kind of motivation I need.
I loved this post on new-year self-reflection exercises, especially this list of questions to ask yourself:
- How can you use your strengths in greatest service to yourself, your family, your community, and the world?
- How can you get paid to do what you love?
- What 5 things are you most proud of? What 5 things will you be most proud of?
- If you had all of the time and money in the world, what would you do?
- What’s your ideal day look like? When you get up? What do you do? With whom? For whom? Imagine it in vivid detail!
- Who are your heroes? Why? How are you like them?
- What would you do if you weren’t afraid?
- If you were guaranteed to succeed, what’s the #1 thing you would do? What else?
- What is it that you and only you can do for the world?
- How can you live in more integrity with your ideals? What’s the #1 thing you could start doing that would have the most positive impact in your life? What’s the #1 thing you could *stop* doing that would have the most positive impact in your life? Sweet. Now rock it!
Be sure to check out the full article, as well as the rest of this week’s great posts!
1. 3 Helpful Self-Reflection Exercises for the New Year – Coach Carson
“It’s nearly time to say goodbye to the old year and to say hello to a new one. Soon you will jump into the hustle and bustle of another 12 months of your life. But before you do, why not take a little time to slow down and reflect?”
2. Has the Financial Independence Retire Early (FIRE) Movement Burned Out? – Paychecks and Balances
“As far as catchy acronyms go, you can call your system whatever you want. All you really have to do in this world of sin is pay taxes, live and die. Besides, most individuals who reach financial independence don’t stop working. They just stop working at jobs they don’t like.”
3. 5 Financial Moves To Make Before the End of the Year – Financially Fit & Fab
“The end of the year offers a unique opportunity for people to tie up financial loose ends, maximize smart, tax-deductible contributions, and prepare themselves for the year ahead. Starting January 1st on shaky financial ground is a surefire way to ruin the start of a new year.”
4. Truly Passive Real Estate Investing – J Collins NH
“I’ve been in the military the past 18 years, moving every one to three years, and I’ve spent a majority of that time overseas. In that time, I’ve built up a substantial real estate portfolio that is completely paid off (only the FIRE crowd would think that’s cool) and professionally managed. The interesting thing about all of this is how I’ve set up my systems. For me, real estate investing takes no work. I mean like NONE.”
5. Why I Chose Travel Over A Career – Crafty Explorer
“It’s been 5 years since I left home and started traveling the world. I had never planned to become a full-time traveler. Yet 5 years later, I’m in Turkey writing this post and reflecting on how all these years of adventures have affected my life and work career. ”
6. Why I Quit Beachbody Coaching (The Truth Behind Multi-Level Marketing) – Melissa Blevins
“It’s been nearly three years since I quit Beachbody coaching, and I don’t regret it one bit. First, I’m going to tell you about my journey and then explain why I quit. It all began with curiosity…and ended with drinking a lot of Beachbody’s Kool-Aid (or Shakeology, rather).”
7. Skipping These Will Save You Money But Ruin Your Life – Super Saving Tips
“Taking action to save money can be a great way to get your finances on track. But there are some ways we try to cut costs that are actually harmful to our financial well-being and our life. Doing some things or actually not doing them or “skipping” them can really backfire on us.”
