11 Things That Will Destroy Your Wealth
Jason 0 Comments Retire Wealthy
Money has always been like a love affair, too
sweet if you're smart enough not to get caught. But if you also make one small mistake, it could
turn sour quickly when your partner discovers your infidelity. Just like money, if you're smart with
it, you'll enjoy the benefits of always being in a stable position in your life. Mistakes, no matter
how minor, could lead to the destruction of the wealth you worked so hard to create. Here are some
of the things you probably didn't know that are destroying your wealth.
11. Gambling The number one rule in gambling is that
the game is always in favor of the house. No matter how close you feel you are about to win,
please resist the urge because it is just a scheme to milk money from you. You might be playing on
the slot machines or card games, and you are on a winning streak. In the long term, the house will
win.
It’s a well-planned illusion while at the casino, as they want to have you there for as long
as they can. They will offer free refreshments and the environment itself will trick you with its
nonexistent natural light, making you unable to tell the time. Our addicted brothers and sisters
lose more in the gambling dens, ranging from about 55-90 thousand dollars each year. That’s enough to
start a business that will sustain your lifestyle! 10. Cars
These raving beasts are a sight to behold, and it's even better when you own one or two of
them. However, don't be too quick to spend your money on acquire such an asset.
This is because
it comes with a lot of baggage that will surely destroy your wealth. Why? Well, buying a new
car will have you paying extra monthly or yearly charges to maintain it. This ranges from
car insurance, car payments, finance charges, and down payments. And we haven't even included
the amount of fuel you need to run your errands daily and the parking fee.
This will add up to
roughly $450 a month on top of the 35,000 used to purchase the car if it was new. Maybe you
thought that it would be a smart move to buy a used car instead of a new one, which would have
cost 20,000 dollars. Sure, you saved a few bucks, but the fact is that you just bought yourself
a liability that depreciates every single day. The stats show that a new car depreciates 15%
in the first year of driving it. Thereafter, it decreases a further 15% each year. So, if you
wanted to sell the same car three years later, you'd only get $10,000-18,000 for it. Now that car
dealership isn't looking all that enticing, right? 9. Debt
Don't get me wrong. Debt isn't always the enemy, as it can help salvage a failing business, or even
create an outstanding income-generating stream if well thought through.
I'm talking about student
loan debt and credit card debt. These two are the most well-known American dream slayers, with up
to 1.6 trillion in student debt alone in the U.S. Stay away from the fascination of going to a more
prestigious university than you can afford. It forces you into debt that will take a good amount
of time to pay off, instead of opting for a local university that will take you in for a cheaper
price. You could also look into getting grants and student scholarships. Coupled with student
loans, a majority of students find themselves deep in credit card debt after spending their
entire college years purchasing on credit the things they can't afford with cash. These debts
are carried to adulthood, leaving many shackled to massive debt. Despite getting a handsome
paycheck at the end of the month, many end up broke because a large portion of that income is
spent on repaying all the debt they have accrued. 8.
Financial illiteracy
Alan Greenspan once said that the biggest problem in today's generation and
economy is the lack of financial literacy. It's no wonder many people are finding themselves deep
in debt and stagnant despite having well-paying jobs. No person is interested in learning about
money management. They'd rather just wing it when it comes to their finances, not knowing that
financial knowledge is powerful. We simply think that we can duplicate what other people
are doing, and our money bags will be fuller. Sorry to be the one to tell you this, but your
finances are as unique to you as your fingerprint. There is no ‘one shoe fits all’.
You have to learn
to balance what you spend on versus how much you earn. to come up with the most workable budget
for you. Learn about accounting and investing. This kind of knowledge will be beneficial in
the long run. Whereas a lack of it will destroy your wealth more than you acquired it.
7. Fashion Gucci bags, Louboutin shoes, a Rolex watch all
to try to make a good first impression. Stop it, please, you don't need to have the
most expensive suit in the room to make an impression. All you need is a
normal-looking one that's crisp and clean. Brush your teeth and maintain a good hygiene
season with some charisma and personality. You'll have everyone in the event looking
for an opportunity to interact with you.
We can all attest to doing all this clingy,
dressing just to keep up with the Jones. But we end up looking rich outside while
our bank accounts are screaming for help. It costs more to buy a 200$ bag that you carry
only once instead of buying one versatile one. 6. Eating out
Did you know that you probably spend around $3,000 a year just on
take-out? That's five times the amount you'd have spent if you'd cooked the food yourself.
Don't
get me started on the amount of time you wasted waiting for your delivery to get to you. Or how
long it takes to pick up the delivery yourself. You'd be saving a good amount of cash every month
by cooking your meals at home. You can stash this money away in your emergency fund for a rainy day.
Doing this not only saves you money, but allows you the opportunity to have a hot meal every day.
You can watch how many calories you're eating. You can even personalize your meals as much as you
want without the worry that the restaurant will forget to add extra gravy again.
Furthermore,
it's healthier to make that dinner yourself. Don't fall into this money trap and have your
wealth robbed from you as you sit by and watch. 5. Wrong relationship
Being in the wrong relationship might just cost you a fortune in your finances.
Up until today, you probably didn’t know, but statistics prove that the average man
spends close to 120,000 dollars on dates. A wedding costs about $34,000 to plan, with
an additional $6,000 for an engagement ring. Can you imagine spending this much only to
be hit with divorce papers? Quite expensive, don’t you think? A survey carried out has shown
that millennials getting into marriage secure themselves by signing a prenup in case things fall
apart.
In that case, they’ll walk out of someone’s life with something in their pocket. I don’t know
whom it might concern, but you better be keen when getting into relationships because the wrong
relationship will not only cost you emotional grief but will also dent your wealth. The
average marriage that works out in the US is 50%, so it’s important you know this before venturing
into it blindly. This means that if you flip a coin, you’ll be able to predict whether your
marriage will work out or not. In the case that things don’t work out for you, it costs an
average of 13,000 dollars to facilitate a divorce, not forgetting other expenses such as alimony
and child support that would be on your back. Without a doubt, we better invest smartly to
avoid these blunders that will destroy our wealth. 4.
Shopping
Shopping has turned into a famous trend all over the world where once someone makes
some small amount of money, all that runs through their mind is how they’ll swing by the mall and
shop till they drop. We should be very precise in our shopping and it would be better if we tagged
along with a shopping list to avoid the temptation of overspending. A close look at this will help
realize how much money is lost in thrift shops and shopping malls. All these shopping sprees
eventually lead to debt, and even more debt if you aren’t keen enough.
Can you believe that
the average credit card debt stands at $57,008? 3. No emergency fund
Living without an emergency fund is like going hiking and choosing not
to carry an extra bottle of water. because the instructor said that you'd be back
from the hike in 6 hours. Only for you to end up dehydrated because your only water bottle fell off
a cliff. The point here is, life is unpredictable, it's so important to have an emergency fund ready.
There isn't a standard amount of money you need to keep for any emergencies. Some say that you
need to have saved triple your monthly income while specifying a certain amount. However, we
are sure that not having an emergency fund will leave you broke in the event of an accident or
calamity. You'll be forced to pay out of pocket or max out your credit to shelter yourself.
This
will, in turn, lead to several financial strains unfolding in your life. You'll be left wondering
where your whole salary is disappearing to. 2. Alcohol
Some claim that a little wine every day does more good than harm. But have you ever
sat down to think about the financial implications that are associated with drinking? You're lucky
if you drink just a little, because heavy drinkers are suffering out there. In 2018 alone, people
have already downed more than 6.3 gallons of beer and 900 million gallons of wine. Do the math, and
you'll be stunned. Even more shocking is that the wealthy and those who are well educated are the
ones partaking in this joyous affair. Be smart to avoid this other money trap, because we've
all heard those stories. The ones who were once at the peak of their careers, both in title and
income, end up losing their jobs because they go out drinking way too much.
Reporting late
to work or even delivering inaccurate reports such a waste of good talent don’t you think?
1. Jewellery. Hip-hop has a firm grip on the dress code we
wear, as well as the bling and glamour that adorns our outfits. You’ll see little to none of
these celebrities without some dope iced-out chain or a gorgeous Rolex watch worth millions. Take a
look at Lil Wayne. For instance, he owns a pinkie ring worth two thousand dollars and Rick Ross’s
custom-made chain worth 1.5 million dollars! Practically speaking, owning such things may
destabilize your wealth. Did you know that jewellery is a depreciating asset? Probably not,
so next time you invest millions in jewellery, you better take a moment to critically assess
your decision. Even if you purchase top-shelf jewellery, it won’t bring back as much as you
invested, even if you resell it after a day. Jewellery is merely a status symbol that
you really won’t need to spend cash on. At the end of the day, the amount of wealth
you are worth is not calculated by the gold chain on your neck.
Be smart. One
last question before we wrap up: What will you do when you are given ten thousand
dollars in cash? Let us know down below. Well folks, thank you so much for watching.
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