The Bottom Line: Money Basics

The Bottom Line: Money Basics — page 3 — CHAPTER ONE MONEY MAKES THE WORLD GO ROUND Moolah Bread Bucks Dough Dinero Loot Cabbage Coinage Scratch Smackers Whatever you call it you can’t live without it Everyone needs money It pays for the necessities in life food clothing shelter health care and transportation Many of us will struggle to have enough money for those necessities And even if we have enough to live on most of us wish we had more of it That’s because money also allows us to have fun We use money to take an occasional vacation or to buy the latest gadgets 4 A laptop and a credit card will help you get what you want in life But before you hit submit for those online purchases you should think about the bigger picture of bills and other expenses that need to be paid every month

The Bottom Line: Money Basics — page 4 — Money especially shared money is also the subject of arguments Married couples for example often have different ideas about how they should spend their hard-earned money One of them might want to splurge on a tropical vacation while the other wants to buy a new house They may not realize that with proper planning they can probably do both Money stirs up other emotions in people too worry that they don’t have enough to pay the bills guilt over spending instead of saving or jealousy toward wealthy people who seem to have more than their fair share For Richer or Poorer Some people believe money is power To others it’s the root of all evil Whether you’re struggling to make enough to get by or spending it like water it’s important to understand how money works learn to manage it well and develop a healthy relationship with it After all it’s going to be in your life for a long long time Money Matters Some people have a love hate relationship with money They love that it can buy them the things they want to live a certain lifestyle On the other hand people hate money when they don’t have enough to meet their needs fulfill their dreams or do everything they want to do in life Lack of money can be one of the greatest sources of frustration in a person’s lifetime but it doesn’t always have to be If the answer to the question What’s in your wallet is Not nearly enough then you may need to sit down and balance some factors such as these what you need what you want how much money you earn and what you can afford to spend and save It’s all a part of becoming financially savvy 5

The Bottom Line: Money Basics — page 5 — financial literacy $peaking of Money I’m passionate about financial literacy I want to live in a financially literate society I want kids to understand the importance of savings and investing It’s crucial that people understand the importance of financial literacy because it’s actually life saving Mellody Hobson American businesswoman Sharpen Your Financial Smarts Rather than going through life worrying feeling guilty and experiencing jealousy you can choose to have a healthier relationship with your dollars and cents You can choose to sharpen your money smarts This area of expertise is called financial literacy and it’s something you can start working on right now Learn the Language of Money Financial literacy is about learning the language of money and becoming comfortable speaking that language It’s about understanding how to earn money keep track of it and save and spend it wisely Mostly financial literacy is about learning how money works and how it can work for you Many people consider money to be a taboo subject or something that is not acceptable to talk about in public Not talking about money though is one of the things that can lead to financial problems in life WORK KEEP TRACK SPEND SAVE SUCCEED 6 Earning money keeping track of it and spending and saving wisely are some of the important ingredients leading to financial literacy and success

The Bottom Line: Money Basics — page 6 — We all need money for even the simplest least expensive necessities of life Having lots of money can buy incredibly expensive things such as the Koenigsegg CCXR Trevita Supercar shown below It's yours for 4 8 million But can even a fraction of that money buy you the love of an animal or a shared moment with your friends BE CAREFUL OUT THERE IT CAN'T BUY HAPPINESS It's tempting to think that having lots of money would solve all of life's problems If you could buy anything you wanted travel to any country in the world and live in a mansion with servants and a swimming pool you'd be totally happy right Not necessarily It's important to have enough money to buy the things we need to survive and it certainly helps to have enough money to live a comfortable life but that's not the only thing you need to be happy Think of all the things that make you smile your best friends your dog playing your favorite sports or beating your big sister in a race to the park You can probably think of dozens more things you enjoy that don't cost money Being happy is a blend of many different ingredients One of those ingredients is having enough money to feel financially secure

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