Tag: Finance
Cars = #1 Wealth Killer
Jason 0 Comments Retire Wealthy
in today'' s video we ' re going to discuss the primary wealth awesome in america our cars hi if you ' re new to the channel my name is tay from economic turtle where we discover to expand our wide range slow as well as constant you may be believing hey what are you speaking about aren'' t there so several various other things that ought to come prior to a cars and truck settlement that is damaging our wide range exactly how regarding the climbing expense of wellness care or stagnating earnings and also what about the insane rising cost of living rate that is damaging our buying power of course all real and also i put on'' t disagree that most of these items impact our riches in detrimental methods however if you can hear me out for the rest of this video i want to help you comprehend why i think our automobiles are actually the top wealth killer here in the united states yet initial let'' s begin out with some history lessons so we have context concerning autos in america let'' s encounter it we as americans are obsessed with cars as well as nothing states american as our cars these days it'' s tough to see the distinction between cars and truck culture and also american culture as cars and trucks have come to be such a considerable part of our lives considering that they initially happened and a large reason for why they lingered for as long is that they'' re the epitome of condition this allura condition that keeps chauffeurs hooked days completely back to the ford design t the very first budget-friendly american car that transformed america as we recognize it over 100 years ago and also ever since vehicles have remained to represent itself as an expansion of ourselves as well as as a result our identification and our standing sign a means to show the world how effective we are when someone parks their lamborghini right following to our 10 year old honda civic don'' t a number of us think male what does this guy provide for a living just how is he so rich he is so amazing in my mid-20s i made one of the greatest acquisitions of my life an all new volvo s40 i had actually simply gotten my recent promo in the military as well as i was making respectable cash obviously i was still living income to paycheck i validated the purchase by claiming that i deserved it as well as i functioned hard for it and also while that could have held true the truth is that i can have gotten a more affordable car and made use of that additional money to pay down debt or buy my future yet i didn'' t because i desired that status symbol i desired the car that would certainly churn heads when i drove now a volvo wasn'' t truly linked with turning heads but at the time i certain really felt like i was someone and also that is truly the core trouble with autos they'' re frequently psychological acquisitions we purchase them with our heart not with our heads and when we do that we usually end up overpaying as well as making inadequate financial decisions much like i did all right now that you had an excellent laugh at my money mistakes allow'' s really check out some numbers and see exactly how automobiles are essentially eliminating our riches allow'' s try to comprehend the average cost of owning an automobile at the time of this video the typical price of a new auto in the united states is around 48 000 as well as considered that the majority of brand-new autos are purchased funded the ordinary regular monthly vehicle payment floats around 700 however when we consider the continuous prices like insurance policy gas or upkeep truth cost of ownership is in fact much greater and we aren'' t even factoring depreciation when buying a brand-new car a new car can lose up to 20 of its value the minute you drive it off the great deal as well as it doesn'' t stop there typically a car will lose about 11 percent of its worth annually for the initial 5 years so if you acquired that 48 thousand buck cars and truck in just 5 years it'' ll be worth less than half of what you spent for as well as after ten years you'' ll deserve much less than a 3rd so it'' s not a surprise that many individuals are upside down on their auto settlements the lower line is that car payments generally are a poor concept specifically big automobile payments like 700 a month there may be special scenarios where a car settlement might make good sense for instance you initially intend on getting a new car with cash money however you picked funding rather since they were providing an absolutely no percent interest however these scenarios are not typical the huge bulk of people aren'' t using auto payments to aid out their money flow scenario picture a typical person who began their initial work at the age of 25 and also settled into a 700 auto payment for their entire life this person would certainly trade his or her cars and truck over the years but would always have that auto repayment each time the car is paid off we would certainly head straight to a dealer to grab a new one and if we did this for thirty years we would have paid over 250 000 in automobile payments alone and also ultimately we would only have an older automobile worth almost nothing to show for it as well as even worse as i pointed out previously this figure doesn'' t consist of the money we paid for upkeep insurance and other connected expenses with owning a vehicle now envision that we did something radical and also chose to bypass or reduce this hefty brand-new car payment for our whole life we determined to purchase a smaller sized brand-new automobile or a trustworthy previously owned automobile or even more radical usage alternating methods of transportation and also leased autos just when we required one in these situations let'' s minimize our regular monthly cars and truck cost by half the national average vehicle payment as opposed to investing 700 a month we rather invest 350 monthly and also we spend the extra 350 in a great reduced cost index fund for following three decades just how a lot do you assume we'' ll have in our financial investments after thirty years at a typical 8 percent rate of return over half a million bucks the total contribution quantity is around 126 000 yet the intensifying included near extra four hundred thousand bucks for financial investments for half a million bucks i personally put on'' t mind driving a humble economical vehicle versus an auto that supposedly reveals my wealth to the rest of the world that actually doesn'' t appreciate me anyways automobile payments are not a lifestyle and if we believe that since we had one since we could remember it'' s time to alter that mindset it'' s simple at fault exterior aspects for our life and cash troubles but what is fascinating is that usually we blame every little thing else but our high automobile repayments for our lack of ability to obtain in advance we condemn our companies for not providing us the raising we are worthy of or our parents for not enlightening us enough we criticize wellness insurance premiums the cost of groceries the housing market as well as even the rate of gas yet exactly how usually do we focus our initiatives over auto repayments frequently not so several people myself included have actually ended up being socially conditioned to think that a big car settlement is a truth of life because having a nice cars and truck is a way of living it'' s an extension of that we are we wouldn'' t head out to the shopping mall using scruffy clothes so how can we be on the road with a review vehicle we inform ourselves that everyone has a cars and truck settlement which is regular and also alright and if we'' re mosting likely to have an auto settlement anyways we could too obtain the vehicle we desire right this type of reasoning is so extensive and also so ingrained into our culture that it'' s almost an epidemic the reality is that we don'' t demand to think this means as well as in reality it is very harmful to assume this method since it'' s harmful to our wide range okay currently that we recognize the damaging influence of having an automobile payment is to our riches what can we do let me show to you some useful pointers top pointer is a bit basic but it is to delay gratification or discovering postponed gratification if this is something we fight with and also i entirely understand with people who like getting brand-new cars and trucks if we'' re completely truthful with ourselves myself consisted of buying a brand-new auto is fun not just do you reach take pleasure in the sought after new auto odor but you reach display in front of your family and also good friends and also despite exactly how much the benefit costs it really feels so excellent to drive your brand-new cars and truck off the whole lot and also cruise ship down the road however that is a short-term reasoning as much of us myself consisted of may have experienced initial hand the brand-new auto smell the exhilaration you feel when you reach drive a new auto to function i'' m sorry to say however these feelings are temporary as well as they'' re short lived after a rather brief amount of time the new automobile enjoyment turns into ordinary uneventful truth soon your auto isn'' t'so new anymore it ' s just something that you drive to costco on a weekly basis if we wish to do something different as well as construct our riches at the same time we require to transform our brand-new automobile mindset let'' s learn to delay gratification if you presently have a vehicle and also have been thinking of obtaining a new one see if you can drag it out for a number of even more years the simple act of delayed gratification can suggest hundreds of thousands of dollars in the long run 2nd pointer is a little bit a lot more useful as well as that is to think about purchasing used as i pointed out earlier among the best unfavorable monetary impact of getting a brand-new cars and truck is its devaluation a brand-new cars and truck can actually lose as much as 20 of his value the moment you drive it off the car park after 5 years it'' ll deserve no greater than fifty percent of its initial value a made use of lorry decreases at a much slower rate than a brand-new car this is because when you'' re behind the will of the auto it will have already gone through most of its depreciation as well as it'' s more affordable thus your regular monthly repayment if you pick to fund will be much lower if you'' re bothered with the problem of a made use of automobile due to the fact that you never purchased one consider a licensed used automobile you'' ll still save cash by buying a used car yet gain added self-confidence the dependability of the lorry basically accredited previously owned or cpo are cars that fulfill makers establish requirements as well as carry some kind of guarantee versus problems similar to a new vehicle service warranty the 3rd idea is to never ever rent an auto renting a vehicle is tempting due to the fact that the monthly settlements are much reduced than acquiring a vehicle nonetheless it obtains rather costly over time when you lease you'' re basically paying for using the vehicle for the first 2 to 3 years of his life when the cars and truck decreases one of the most when your lease mores than you either have to rent another cars and truck or acquisition one starting the cycle throughout again getting a brand-new automobile might be costly initially however once you settled the lendings you at the very least own the car and won'' t have any kind of auto payments as long as you proceed to drive it with renting you wear'' t have this alternative you will certainly always have a cars and truck payment the fourth suggestion may appear a bit severe yet is to think about no car if you live in an area where there is a good mass transit and also you put on'' t have to commute far away for job it could be practical to ditch your car completely not only will you save money on vehicle settlements but you also reduce gas insurance policy and upkeep expense it may not be one of the most glamorous service however it is an useful one that can liberate a considerable amount of cash monthly automobiles are among the largest wide range awesomes out there if you actually wish to build true riches you require to be mindful of your cars and truck options and also prevent the temptation to spend too much there'' s absolutely nothing incorrect with possessing an auto however there is something wrong with allowing the automobile own you think thoroughly about your requirements and make clever economic choices that will certainly aid you expand your riches gradually thanks people for watching if you'' d like to learn more about a few other means to conserve money examine out a few of my video clips below up until next time all the most effective [Music]
The #1 Wealth KILLER
Jason 0 Comments Retire Wealthy
Albert Einstein once referred to compound interest as the 8th wonder of the world. Saying he who understands it earns it; he who doesn’t pays it. And he couldn’t have been more right. Today we’re going to be looking at the miracle that is compound interest and how can protect my retirement as it relates to the #1 killer of your wealth. Let’s get started. So the #1 wealth killer is debt. Yeah, I know, big shocker. But it’s really true and today we’re going to look at why that is.
The truth is, having too much debt can put a limit on your greatest wealth-building tool – your income. While it may be tempting to invest rather than pay off your debt, compound interest is a force to be reckoned with. In fact, I recently dedicated an entire video to its power. Financial advisors often use the example of Jane, who invests $100 per month ($1,200 per year) from the age of 18 to 25 and earns an average of 10% per year on her investments. By the time she stops investing at age 25, her nest egg will be worth just over $15,000.
However, before you start investing, it’s important to consider your debt load. Here are some reasons why paying off your debt first may be the smarter choice:
High-interest rates: Many forms of debt, such as credit card debt or personal loans, carry high-interest rates that can negate any potential investment gains.
Risk: Investing always carries some degree of risk, and if you have high levels of debt, taking on additional risk may not be advisable.
Stress: Debt can be a significant source of stress and anxiety, which can have negative impacts on your overall financial well-being.
Freedom: Paying off debt can give you a sense of freedom and control over your financial situation, allowing you to make better long-term decisions.
That being said, paying off debt doesn’t mean you can’t invest at all. Here are some steps you can take to balance debt repayment and investing:
Create a budget: Determine how much money you can allocate towards debt repayment and investing each month.
Focus on high-interest debt: Prioritize paying off high-interest debt first, as this will save you the most money in the long run.
Consider employer-matched retirement accounts: If your employer offers a retirement plan with a matching contribution, take advantage of it. This is essentially free money that can help you save for the future.
Seek professional advice: A financial advisor can help you create a personalized plan that takes your unique financial situation into account.
In conclusion, while compound interest is a powerful tool for building wealth, it’s important to consider your debt load before investing. Paying off high-interest debt should be a priority, but that doesn’t mean you can’t invest at all. By creating a budget, focusing on high-interest debt, taking advantage of employer-matched retirement accounts, and seeking professional advice, you can balance debt repayment and investing to achieve your financial goals.
Over the course of the next 45 years, those investments will continue to grow. Assuming that it continues to grow at an average annualized rate of 10% per year she will end up with $1.1 million in her portfolio at age 70. That’s all achieved with eight years of investing $100 a month. Jane becomes a millionaire by investing $9,600 of her own money. On the other hand, we have John. John doesn’t start investing at age 18. Instead, he starts at the age of 26 (just after Jane had finished all of her investing). He also invests $100 a month. However, unlike Jane, he does it from the age of 26 all the way until the age of 70. John invests $54,000 of his own money over the course of those years and ends up with a nest egg of just under $950,000. So John ends up with approximately $150,000 less than Jane. This is in spite of the fact that he invested six times more of his own money than she did.
It’s no secret that excessive debt can put a damper on your ability to build wealth using your most powerful tool – your income. While the concept of compound interest is widely known to be an effective way to grow your money over time, paying off debt may seem like a counterproductive move. However, it’s important to remember that not all investments are created equal, especially when you’re dealing with debt payments.
Let’s take a look at an example: Jane invests $100 a month for 7 years starting at 18 and ends up with a net worth of $1.1 million at the age of 70. Now, let’s say John starts investing $100 a month at the same age and earns an average of 10% per year, just like Jane. Even if John continues to invest until he’s 100 years old, Jane would still have more money than him, and her lead would only increase with time. In fact, at the age of 100, Jane would have $19.2 million to her name, while John would have $16.7 million. This just goes to show the power of compound interest, as famously called by Albert Einstein as the 8th Wonder of the world.
However, when it comes to investing, it’s important to consider the context of one’s financial situation. Comparing someone who is debt-free to someone who is not will not provide an accurate comparison. While Jane invested $100 a month for 7 years, John was dealing with debt payments and didn’t invest anything for those first 8 years. But what if John managed to free up an extra $200 a year, or less than $17 a month, by paying off his debts? In that case, he would come out ahead of Jane by the time they’re both 70. And if he freed up more money than that, he would pass Jane even earlier.
So, what’s the takeaway? While compound interest is undoubtedly a powerful tool, it’s important to also consider the impact of debt on one’s ability to invest. Paying off debt and freeing up funds for investment can ultimately lead to greater financial success in the long run.
And given the state of the average American debt situation, $17 a month in payments is a remarkably conservative estimate. According to articles in business insider,
CNBC, and Forbes the average American debt situation looks like this: About $9,000 in credit card debt which is
often split between several cards. $30,000 in student loan debt. And assuming a used vehicle was bought a little
over $21,000 on a car loan. That’s around $60,000 in total debt. If we assume 18% interest on the credit cards
and 4.5% interest on the other loans and terms of 5 and 10 years on the car loan and student
loan respectively, the minimum payments could be roughly $900 a month. Freeing up that much cashflow could make a
tremendous difference in the previous example. Let’s look back at John’s situation from before
and assume that his household’s debt situation was that of the average American. John uses his $100 a month of excess cash
flow to pay off these debts.
Based on the numbers it would take him roughly
six years to become debt-free. This is assuming he did not work any extra
hours or sell anything to get out of debt faster. Once he was debt-free he would have almost
$1,000 a month left over to invest. If he starts the process of becoming debt-free
at the age of 18 when Jane was starting to invest he would have become debt-free by his
24th birthday. If he then turned around and started investing
the full $1,000 a month he would actually be further along in his investments by his
25th birthday then Jane was. Granted this is largely because he has invested
more money than Jane has at this point. Jane by her 25th birthday had only invested
$8,400. That’s quite a bit less than John’s $12,000
but think of the potential payoff of this down the road if John keepS investing that
money.
He’ll also likely be able to lead a much
better lifestyle than Jane in the present due to his lower monthly expenses. Jane may eventually equal him in that regard
if she gets her debts paid off, but for those first several years after John is debt-free,
it is worth noting. Remember, compound interest is an incredibly
powerful mathematical force. But it can work just as hard against you as
it can for you. So it’s important to make sure that compound
interest is your ally in your finances, not your enemy. So with that being said how do we avoid this
killer of wealth? First, if you’re lucky enough to not have
any debt right now research some ways to ensure that you keep it that way.
If you’re planning to go to college look into
ESA or 529 plans. They are ways to start saving for college
while lowering your tax burden (which is always a nice perk). Also, look into scholarship opportunities
or PSEO. Don’t be afraid to have a summer job and work
during the school year part-time. For the record, this can also be a good option
in high school to give yourself a head start financially so long as it doesn’t take away
from your studies too much. Make sure that you always have an emergency
fund. It should contain three to six months worth
of expenses so that you don’t have to take on debt for those moments when life happens. Make sure you have insurance for those catastrophes
that you wouldn’t be able to cover with your savings. Catastrophic health emergencies are a good
candidate for this.
If you’re already in debt, learn about how
people have paid off their debts. Then choose the strategy that is most likely
to get you (and keep you) completely out of debt. Three of the most popular strategies are the
debt snowball, debt avalanche, and debt tsunami. I have done videos on all three of those and
they will be linked in the description. The debt snowball is the one made famous by
financial personalities such as Dave Ramsey. It has you order your debts from smallest
to largest balance and pay them off in that order regardless of the interest rates on
those debts. The plus side is the momentum you can build
up for yourself by quickly wiping out those bills. The downside is it isn’t the most mathematically
efficient way to get out of debt, all else being equal.
The debt avalanche is the more mathematically
efficient option if you can stick to it. It has you order your debts from highest to
lowest interest rate and pay them off in that order. This is regardless of the size of the loan
itself. The upside is the fact that you’ll be paying
less in interest. The downside is in some situations it may
take quite a while to get rid of that first bill. For those who are more motivated by seeing
the balances of the debts themselves going down this may not be much of an issue.
For those that are more motivated by the lowering
of bills, this could be an issue in some situations. The debt tsunami has you order your debts
from the most emotionally stressful to the least emotionally stressful and pay them off
in that order. In some cases, this could mean paying off
the largest balance that also has the lowest interest rate first. However in my experience that is not commonly
how it goes. Most of the people that I’ve seen use this
strategy tend to use it because there are personal loans between family or friends that
are causing a lot of stress in the relationship. The person with the debt uses the tsunami
to get rid of that loan first and then often switches to a different strategy such as the
snowball or avalanche. Which is another viable option for many people. There’s nothing stopping you from starting
with one strategy that will help get you going and then switching to another that will work
for you longer-term.
I know a lot of people who have started with
the snowball to get themselves some momentum and then switched to the avalanche once they
were on a roll so that they could save on interest. Another thing I would recommend looking into
is the power of the debt snowflake. If you haven’t heard, the debt snowflake is
a strategy where you find ways to free up money (or just happened to find the money)
that you can put towards your debt payoff strategy. The nice thing about it is it works well with
any of the other three strategies I mentioned. While by itself it isn’t game-changing it
does help your primary strategy do its job a little better. And as we know every little bit helps. If you need more motivation make sure to check
out Dave Ramsey’s YouTube channel and their debt-free screams playlist.
It’s filled with a lot of amazing stories
of people paying off loads of debt on various levels of income and getting to see their
relief when they are finally debt-free is very inspiring. You might also find their Turning Points playlist
interesting. It is essentially interviews of people who
have become debt-free talking about what made them decide to go through that process and
achieve that lifestyle. I’ll leave a link to both playlists in the
description as well..
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