The article everyone is talking about today

July 21 56 Comments latest by j

…is the phenomenal New York Times article written about how a woman named Diane McLeod got into thousands of dollars of debt. It’s remarkable because it includes a rich set of multimedia features that let you understand how many of us get into so much debt — and also allow you to compare yourself to others. They include:

• An overview article: Given a Shovel, Americans Dig Deeper Into Debt
• A timeline of debt from the 1920s until now
• A haunting video of Diane McLeod. Just watch her attitude and how her debt affects her.
• 700+ comments from people (I suggest sorting by Readers’ Recommendations). The condemnation is both enlightening and saddening. We seem to take pleasure in seeing other people’s pain (”She could have made better choices…Idon’t buy all that crap”) and yet, some of it is very true. I agree with most of the comments about the evilness of credit-card companies, and yet, we do have choices.
• A tool that lets you compare how much debt you have with others like you

Want to watch it all? Click here to start.

Here’s my take: On one hand, we all know people like Diane, who make poor financial decisions, never take the time to get educated about money, and sink into a hole of financial quicksand. These people are easy to judge because they have all the visible signs of financial stupidity: New cars every two years, expensive high-definition TVs, vacations, houses they can’t afford. And yet, on the other hand, financial institutions, advertising, and social influence have all coordinated an attack on us to spend more. In fact, we’ve been told for decades that owning a house is the single-best financial decision we can make. It’s not.

Is education the answer? Maybe, but it’s not a panacea.

Should we just stop spending so much? Of course we should, but that’s like saying we should all lose weight by making better choices. Easy to say, extremely difficult to do. I’m hopeful that the current environment calls for a restructuring of our priorities. I hope that we get conscious about our spending and start prioritizing saving over spending. With extended hardship, this will become more likely. We all need to be conscious of our finances, but we’re playing in a world with the deck stacked against us.

I’m tired of demonizing people for making poor spending decisions. It might make you feel good about yourself, but it doesn’t actually change behavior.

And fundamentally, that’s what this site is about. It’s not about making people feel better about themselves by looking down at other people. It’s about getting behavioral change. In that vein, the 557 examples of changes people have made as a result of reading this site are probably my biggest success.

I fully expect lots of commenters to brag about how you got out of debt by making hard choices (just as they annoyingly bragged about their inexpensive weddings in the comments of this post). That’s great. But I’m sick of those comments that tell people to “just spend less.” Not everyone can stop spending 30% of their money on going out, because a lot of people don’t have that extra money.

There’s nuance to these arguments that’s missed by idiots who blather about how we should all “make better choices” and “start being responsible.” Of course we should, and if you’re reading this blog, you’re already doing this. But there are details that are missed by such superficial statements.

Here’s what I suggest: Read the New York Times article. Then, read the 152 comments from other iwillteachyoutoberich readers about how they got into debt. That’s 67 pages of startlingly honest stories, most of them having to do with educational loans. Then, I would encourage you to carve out some time for two resources to understand some of the nuances of why many people — especially poor people — can’t get ahead. Here are two resources I fully recommend:

Also, check out 30 Days of Working Minimum Wage, a video in which Morgan Spurlock (who brought you Super Size Me) and his girlfriend work minimum wage. Sure, it’s gimmicky, but it’s a truly eye-opening movie that provides insights on why it’s nearly impossible to get ahead if you’re earning a certain income.

I’d love to hear your comments.

(10 votes, average: 4.7 out of 5)

 Loading ...

56 Comments latest by j

3 credit card perks you have (but probably don’t know about)

July 17 16 Comments latest by Valor

My friend Paul Singh (of the productivity blog resultsjunkies.com) was telling me about some interesting perks from his credit card, so I asked him to write it up for everyone. I don’t have strong feelings one way or another about AmEx, but these are great examples of some of the benefits that your credit card probably offers — but you don’t know about.

Note: His annual fee is enough to make me stuff my head in a plastic bag and tie it closed with adamantium, but you have most of these perks on your credit card for free.

In case you didn’t know already, all AmEx cards come with something they call Return Protection:

• No More Shopping Regrets - Return Protection offers guaranteed product satisfaction on designated items purchased entirely with an eligible American Express® Card.
• 90 Days of Protection - If you try to return an eligible item purchased in the U.S. within 90 days from the date of purchase and the merchant won’t take it back, American Express will refund the purchase price.
• Up to $300 Coverage - You are covered for up to $300 per item, excluding shipping and handling, up to $1,000 annually per Card account.

I’m planning on using this for an iPhone I bought for my wife 2 weeks ago (assuming the new iPhone is available within 90 days of the purchase date). They’ve got a few other nice perks with their personal cards.

Also, I really like the free extended warranties - I used that on a $5K TV I bought last year and it’s nice to know that I’m covered for an extra year after the factory warranty runs out - for free. On top of that, all the travel coverages are awesome - I lost my card in Vegas last month and they overnighted me a new Platinum card. To make sure I could still party it up, they offered to have the hotel concierge drop off some AmEx travelers checks to my room within an hour.

The way I look at it, I pay $600 ($450 for mine and $150 my wife’s) per year for the Platinum Card - that’s $50/month. I get all the free coverages I talked about up above, some additional Platinum-level goodies (like airport lounge access, free complimentary airline tickets and more) and a 24/7/365 concierge that will do my bidding.

Remember, you don’t need to pay a huge amount to get these benefits. Most credit cards, including yours, come with standard benefits, including a complimentary extended warranty of an extra year on electronic purchases (e.g., iPods and cellphones — most people don’t know about this!). They also offer automatic car-rental insurance, plus the ability to dispute charges if you got a lemon from a retailer.

Compare credit cards at http://www.bankrate.com, and check out my list of credit-card links.

More credit card tips in my upcoming book. I have a full chapter on optimizing your credit card in my upcoming book, I Will Teach You To Be Rich. To get early chapter previews (and other money tips), subscribe to my free newsletter.

(13 votes, average: 2.38 out of 5)

 Loading ...

16 Comments latest by Valor

What about forex investing? Oil? The middle east?

July 17 6 Comments latest by Moneymonk

I get these emails all the time and they drive me nuts.

Victor writes:

I read your blog often, and I’ve been looking into trading currency on FOREX. I know there is lots of risk to it, as there is to any type of investing. What is your advice and idea on it?

My response:

Have you set up a proper asset allocation already, with automatic investing and at least 10% of your money being invested each month?

I never heard from Victor again.

Sometimes we get too fancy with all the choices available to us, forgetting the most important part. Remember, 90%+ of your investment returns are due to your asset allocation. See some sample asset allocations here (or just invest in a target-date fund).

New feature: Money Diaries. I’m launching something called Money Diaries, and I’m looking for people who want to (anonymously) write about their most ridiculous and interesting money experiences in day-to-day, minute-by-minute style. Did you feel guilty about buying that purse? Or did you just save $1,000 by bargaining with the car salesman?

Check out Sex Diaries to get an example.

It’s anonymous (what do you have to lose?), so if you’re interested, apply to be featured in Money Diaries.

(13 votes, average: 2.31 out of 5)

 Loading ...

6 Comments latest by Moneymonk

Previous Page

Next Page