Broken Femurs and Running Marathons

7/13/15

The Worst Relationship Incompatibility Is Financial Stupidity

I’m going to make a point today that a lot of you might be offended at.

It’s not that I want to offend you, it’s just that—well, the truth hurts sometimes. Especially when the truth is pointed at someone you care about.

You probably got to this article through Facebook—most of you do. That’s where I post my articles. I love getting your visits, and I love getting your comments when you like something I’ve written. But there’s another, much bigger reason I like Facebook…

I get a kick out of the stupidity I see everyday on there.

Stupidity, by one definition, is knowing one thing and doing just the opposite. It’s complaining about something someone else is doing one minute, then turning around the next and doing it yourself. It’s asking for something from loving friends and family members, then turning around and squandering the gift when it’s given to you.

Stupidity is not knowing who you’re closest to—not knowing who they really are, what habits they have, or what their hopes and dreams are. It’s sitting back watching those who say they love you tear you down (perhaps just inadvertently) or keep you from what’s most important in life.

The purpose of this site is to help you make, keep, and grow your money. But money isn’t the most important thing in life. It is, after all, nothing more than a means to an end. Having money and wealth isn’t the end goal—but having it just may help you meet whatever yours might be. After all, you can do hardly anything in this world without money—there’s no freedom, no independence, no peace of mind, and no time, except working to survive.

The question I want you to ask yourself is this:  Is your significant other stealing your future of freedom filled with your hopes and dreams from you? Are they mortgaging your future with expensive, shiny crap that does nothing but lose value? Are they obsessed with having what the people around you seem to always have, instead of being grateful for what they have, and working for something better?

Are they united with you in ensuring a bright, secure, happy future for you? If not, they might just be robbing you of your future.

Take a deep look at your partner in life. What do they want most? Do they care about the things you do? Do they fight against your rising tide of motivation to change your financial situation for the better, to save and invest more, and to create real, lasting wealth for you and your posterity?

If they do, you've got a serious thing to remedy here. This fundamental incompatibility is the equivalent of trying to run a marathon with a broken femur.

Financial freedom is a marathon. You won't get anywhere with a broken leg.

I wish you would truly consider how much time, money, and freedom this issue is costing you in the long run. As another author whom I admire has so eloquently and colorfully put it, “How much is that b*tch costin' ya?” Once you’ve determined that, the next step is to consider what has to be done to fix the situation.

Maybe You Just Need a "DTR" Conversation (Define the Relationship)

Look, my goal isn’t to sit here trying to break up your happy marriages or partnerships. My only goal is to rid you of stupidity, and sometimes that stupidity arrives in the form of your friends, acquaintances, and your loved ones.

Let’s get one thing straight—I’m not telling you to leave your spouse, your girl/boyfriend, or your lover. I’m pleading with you to do what needs to be done to bring them on board with you into the wonderful world that is The Village.

My biggest concern for the future of my own generation is that not enough of us are focused on the principles of independence, self-reliance, self-motivation, and innovation. I’m truly afraid for most of you that might end up reading this, because you don’t seem to be getting this.

You’re responsible for your own future and prosperity. No one is going to deliver it to you on a silver platter.

It’s not your employer’s job to make you rich—it’s yours.

It’s not your spouse’s job alone to make sure you’re financially stable and secure—it takes teamwork.

It’s not your parents’ job to make you rich through their inheritance to you. That will only exacerbate your financial problems.

I don’t want to be a braggart, but my lovely lady and I have always been on the same page financially—seemingly by some miracle. It had to be divine intervention.

We’re both focused on staying out of debt, saving and investing like crazy, keeping our expenses low, making smart purchases of cars, homes, etc.—and this all is leading us to ensuring a bright, safe, secure future for ourselves and our children. And I’ll be darned if I don’t give my children the blessing of imparting these same things to them, and teaching them the same lessons we’ve learned about life and true wealth.

Maybe it was because both my wife and I grew up not having a lot of money or security of this nature, that we’ve both come to know the value of actually having security. Not that we’re millionaires today, but we’re light years ahead of both our sets of parents when it comes to money.

Barring some pandemonious personal financial crisis, I don’t see anything that will derail us from a nice, young retirement full of nothing but free time, peace of mind, and freedom to do what we please.

I want the same for you.

Get on track with your significant other

So if you’re tied down to someone who’s a financial wreck—I encourage you to stay tied down, but resolve your financial issues, and get on the same page. Get on the right track. Start saving 20% of your income, get an emergency fund set up, and start learning how to buy safe investments where you can't lose money.

There’s no better place to start than right here. You’re not paying me to write this, so I can’t say that I have any ulterior motives in encouraging you.

HOWEVER….. if you’re strapped, but only tenuously, (i.e., not married, and there are no kids involved yet) to someone that’s a foolish, unrelenting, unyielding, anti-parsimonious wreck—then, and only then, do I give you permission to considering jumping ship. There are bigger fish in the sea who will help you fulfill your dreams.

So there, I said it. Let the fur fly.

Live long and invest,

 

Jeremiah

Questions? Comments? Hate mail? Email me at thevillageidvestor@gmail.com.