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How a Lack of Vision can lead to Poverty

 

Written by R. A. Stewart

Without Vision People Perish-Proverbs 29:18

Achieving financial success requires vision. From this I do not mean having a business idea that makes you a millionaire, but rather being prepared for life’s big events. There are a number of things which crop up during a person’s lifetime. Here are some of them.

Buying a car

Flatting

Getting married

Having children

Upskilling/Further education

Starting a business

Illness/accidents

Retiring

Starting a business

The person with vision will be prepared for all of these by saving a portion of their payment every week and have this money transferred into a separate account.

A person with no vision does not look beyond the next payday. They will spend everything they earn and if they receive a pay rise, their spending will go up accordingly.

The result of all of this is that whenever some emergency arises such as a car breakdown, a dental or medical emergency, or their child needing spectacles they borrow the money; the cost to this is interest, which means that the person with no vision is paying more than if they are paying it with cash they have available in their account.

Many people want what others have got and will even go into debt to get it. Using their credit card they go into debt to buy stuff they want but don’t need just to impress others.

There are consequences to all of this!

Debt is the most obvious one, but looking long term, a lack of financial discipline will also result in very little to fall back on later on in life.

Tomorrow always comes so you had better plan for it and not ignore it.

What if you have retired and are at the so-called golden years of your life?

Having a vision is still applicable to you.

Writing a will and making a plan for your assets requires vision. It is also the responsible thing to do. It is irresponsible to leave your descendants up the creek on your passing if you have the means to take care of them. This applies to those who have dependent children.

Ask yourself this question, “What actions can I take that my future self will thank me for?”

Life is all about making the right choices. You may not have a lot of money but you do have choices, something which no one can or should be making for you, unless you are incarcerated of course.

It is important to set new goals and not to allow the grass to grow under your feet. This may be difficult for those with financial commitments but you do have the choice of what to do with your spare time. You can either waste it or do something meaningful with it. It is all up to you.

“People with lack of vision for the future usually return to the past”-Brian Houston, Australian evangelist

About this article: The contents of this article is of the opinion of the writer and may not be applicable to your personal circumstances therefore, discretion is advised. You may use this article as content for your website/blog, or ebook.

Read my other articles on www.robertastewart.com

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Goal setting

In order to get to where you want to go you have to know where you are going and this involves goal setting. Even if you do not set goals you will still end up someplace. Even those who ended up in the poor house started their journey someplace. Choosing where you want to go involves goal setting otherwise your destination will be chosen for you.

Setting financial goals 

Getting all of your finances in order takes a bit of give and take as far as deciding what you have to give up in order to achieve something else. If all our dreams came true we could buy anything we want when we want it but we do not live in our ideal world so we need to decide on what our priorities are.

In today’s world where getting one’s foot on the property ladder is unachievable for a lot of young people under their current circumstances, they need to find another strategy. These same rules apply whatever the circumstances and that is getting into the savings habit and investing money is important. If you are a New Zealander then I cannot stress enough how important it is to join the NZ retirement scheme kiwisaver. With all of it’s incentives such as the free government money and employer contributions this is a no brainer. Plus you will be able to use part of your kiwisaver for a deposit on your first home providing you have been with a kiwisaver for five years.

If you are from another country then your retirement scheme will have different rules and schemes.

A multitude of factors will determine your financial goals but the main ones are:

YOUR AGE

If you are young then you have the luxury of time on your side and make time work for you. As the saying goes, “It is time and not timing which is the key to making money in the markets.” 

YOUR FINANCIAL SITUATION

If you are in debt then your number one priority needs to be getting out of debt especially if it is consumer debt. That is debt on stuff that you don’t need such as a TV set, lounge, videos, and other appliances. “If you don’t have the money to buy such items you don’t buy it,” is a good philosophy to have.

The money that is spent on luxury non essential items can be better directed to building your wealth. 

YOUR MARITAL STATUS

This is an obvious one but your marital status is a major factor in determining what your life goals are going to be because life is not all about you because there is another person in the picture; this means that you both have to be on the same page.

So how can I achieve my goals with x amount of money in my pay packet?

1 Increase your income

2 Reduce spending

3 Sell stuff you no longer need

INVEST YOUR MONEY

Invest your money don’t just fritter it away like most people. An increase in your wages and salary should be invested unless ofcourse you are living from paycheck to paycheck. Set savings goals with long term, medium term, and short term savings goals depending on what you are saving for. 

The timeframe for when you require the money is a factor in determining where you are going to invest the money. You certainly would not invest in growth high risk high return stocks if you needed the money in the short term.

www.robertastewart.com

ABOUT THIS ARTICLE

In order to get your life and finances in order it is advisable to set goals. It is easier to set bite sized goals rather than set one big goal. It is easier for a marathon runner to set a goal of one mile repeated twenty six times rather than a goal to run twenty six miles.

Robert Stewart has his own website with articles on  mainly financial/money management on www.robertastewart.com