While I have dedicated March to writing graduation messages for my students and all, this fresh article, “People You Should Avoid While You’re Improving Your Finances,” can be but a steering back to the original purpose of this blog – promoting financial literacy. Hey, we’re finally back!
Coffee break, please! Before we go slow with what we have on the list, let me share for a while a few of our small accomplishments in the past few months. First, we have been ranking well in the Philippines with an upper one-thousandth position as per Alexa traffic metrics.
Second, we have reached our all-time high Google AdSense monthly revenue since our year-end report back in December. Booya! I just made a hundred US dollars this March alone.
Lastly but not yet an accomplishment until you try it, we have just installed Facebook comment plugin to encourage more interactive discussions.
When we surround ourselves with proactive and financially mature people, we become more empowered to make informed and sound financial decisions.
On the other hand, when we become immersed into a band of carefree and imprudent spenders, we lose focus on our long-term financial goals, and sooner or later be regretful for all opportunities and resources that go to waste.
Interestingly, here are the kinds of people you should avoid while you are into improving your finances:
[1] People Who Don’t Have Long-Term Financial Goals. Avoid people who do not recognize the value of saving and investing. Some of them may somehow be saving from their monthly paycheck but for luxuries and lavish lifestyles that do not promise long-term financial stability.
Having the ‘you-only-live-once’ or YOLO mentality, they’re coward to face the fact that they are getting old and their physical financial machine is depreciating over time. In a hit of financial crisis however, worse than a simple collapse of their finances can be expected.
What’s with the harsh advice? People who don’t have long-term financial goals can be difficult to deal with as they hardly understand your frugality.
Rubbing elbows with them, prepare yourself for occasional splurges and beyond-the-budget expenses. If they’re willing enough to adopt your practices though, you can keep them and give them a leg up through more informed financial decisions.
[2] Amnesiac People Who Splurge but Forget Paying Off Petty Debts. It’s not that they unintentionally forget they had you paid for their lunch last Monday or had your few wallet bills because they had no available cash then, but that it has already been their bad habit of making petty debts and soon disremember.
Avoid these people whom you also see splurge and brag about their fancy stuff but fail to settle their debts. More annoyingly, they always have a prepared ‘later’ response should you find a chance reminding them.
How should you deal with these people? Whatever happens, don’t ever lend them money again. Say you don’t have an extra. Say you’ve got to pay your monthly bills. Say you’re broke.
Give whatever excuse that may pop up on your mind. Soon, they’ll realize you’re getting more serious and tighter with your finances, and that they should be as well.
[3] Broke People Who Sell Financial Advice. When broke people do you a lecture about making investments, better be warned. Opportunists as they may sometimes be called, they see you as their opportunity for their immediate advantage, and not a financial growth opportunity with you.
Unless they simply share their futile investment experiences and tip you off against worst financial decisions, they can at least be trusted.
You may not exactly know what runs in their mind, but they drive you into venturing through extremely high-risk investments, sometimes even scams.
As they hold no accountability for your possible losses, they seem more undaunted and persevering. Avoid these people for they may exploit your optimism and resources, and soon leave you behind just in the same fate.
[4] Cool Friends Who Initiate Hang Outs but Never Shell Out. Other friends and coworkers think you have a fatter wallet though both of you receive the same monthly paycheck.
Highly persuasive and irresistible, they always drag you up into food trips and Friday night outs with their congeniality, but you end up paying the bill. Sadly, they don’t have any share of it. Madudugas eh!
Of course, it’s healthy coming out of your comfort zone once in a while, but not to the point that you’re wrecking your budget for the sake of ‘pakikisama’ with these opportunistic people. Avoid being with these friends for they may not be worth keeping.
Find instead people who try to put themselves in your shoe, and hence, understand your living within means and making the most of the hard-earned money.
[5] Bitter People Who Don’t Just Get Happy with Your Accomplishments. You may have a blogger friend who may not be happy with you earning more a fortune.
You may have a co-teacher who may not be happy with your new publication, and hence, simply gives you an unreasonable excuse for not attending your book launch and not grabbing a copy.
You cannot please everyone, but at least they should have expressed a little of their support. Bitter people are everywhere.
Distant yourself from them for they can be the cause of your distress and ruin you day as you pay heed to their nasty remarks and bitterness.
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