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Dead Money will cost you

What is dead money?

Written by R. A. Stewart

 

What is dead money?

It is money which is spent on something which does not provide anything of value to you.

Interest paid on consumer debt falls into this category. It is dead money because interest does not provide any tangible value to you. Some may argue that interest paid on a mortgage on a property provides some value because the value of the property increases at a greater rate than the interest on the mortgage.

A fair point but falling house prices have meant that some houses have negative equity on them. All the more reason for you to reduce that mortgage as quickly as possible, more so when the mortgage interest rate is low.

Dead money can also be money which is locked away in an investment for very little return. An example of this is money just simply left in a savings account for a period of time. Inflation and the tax payable on the paltry interest means that your money is losing its value over a period of time. The only money which is left in an account such as this is money which is needed in the short term.

Just stuffing your money under the mattress is another form of dead money for the same reason as leaving it in a low interest account and this is because it is not earning any money.

If you think that just leaving money lying around is foolish enough most people own stuff which is worth money and if this was sold the money could be earning an income through shares or other investments. Most people own stuff which can be converted back into cash and put to work for them. Anything which is no longer needed and is just gathering dust fits this category.

It is important to know the difference between an asset and a liability. An asset increases your wealth but a liability is a drain on your finances.

Some investors consider the equity in their home as “dead money”. It all depends on where you are coming from because there is a clear choice between having equity in your home or having a debt. I recall someone told me years ago that he knew someone who took out a mortgage on his home to purchase shares then Black Monday took place. For younger people, the 1987 sharemarket crash which occurred during October of that year was named “Black Monday.”

After the crash his shares were worth a lot less than the loans owing on them. 

At the end of the day that is the risk with investing for capital gain and investors must weigh up the risks of losing their capital against the likely rewards. 

If you have some spare cash lying about doing nothing and you are wondering whether or not you should invest it in something risky but has the potential to grow the one question you should be asking is “What is this money for?”

Only then will you know whether this is money you should be taking risks with.

About this article

This article is the opinion of the writer and may not necessarily be applicable to your personal circumstances therefore caution is advised. You are welcome to use this article as content for your website/blog or ebook. Feel free to share this article.

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Book Review: The Barefoot Investor

Book Review: The Barefoot Investor

Written by R. A. Stewart

A personal finance book which is worth a read is “The Barefoot Investor” by Scott Pape. This book is practical and down to earth. It is written in a way that is easily understood.

Some of the things covered are strategies for using your money  to grow your long-term wealth, having a safety net, and having some splurge money, or as it is often called, “discretionary spending money.”

These three types of money are what he describes as buckets.

Another section of the book explains the mistakes made by home buyers; they are:

1.They are waiting for a crash

  1. They rent but forget to save
  2. They buy a house they cannot afford
  3. They buy an investment property first.
  4. They don’t consider other options.

You cannot plan your life around something which you have no control over, the author says in reference to number one. Various websites publish articles about the crash which is about to hit the housing market. Pape claims this to be clickbait to attract visitors to their websites.

Mistake number two is renting but forgetting to save. Such people live from one payday till the next and have nothing to show for their labours.

Many people who did have the self-discipline to save make the mistake of buying a house they can’t afford, and then to compound their financial struggles, kids come along. Such people are sometimes referred to as “The Squeezed Middle.”

Buying an investment property first with the intention of moving in later on. The advice given in the book is, if you want a family home, to save up and purchase one.

People who have given up the notion of purchasing their own home sometimes lose heart and instead of saving money will instead fritter it away so that they have nothing to show for their labours.

Scott Pape writes in a down to early style which makes the book easy to understand, making finance less intimidating for beginners. 

A feature of the book is that Pape encourages everyone to have a healthy relationship with money which does not mean living in deprivation. 

The book focuses on Australian financial systems and this has to be adapted to your own country’s local context.

If you want to improve your financial literacy you will enjoy reading Barefoot Investor; this book will steer on to the right path toward a more successful future.

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The cost of a high lifestyle

The Cost of a high lifestyle

Written by R. A. Stewart

There is a huge cost attached to living a luxury lifestyle and this cost will be felt sometime into the future. It is when some of life’s big ticket items will crop up and unless you are prepared for them you will most likely end up borrowing to pay for them. This means that you will be paying interest for such items which means that you will be paying more for them than you should.

I remember as a teenager we were helping a neighbouring lifestyle farmer build a cattle yard. The farmer’s name was Jack, an Irishman. He wanted the cattle yard to look nice but Dad said to him, “There is no profit in having a cattle yard that looks nice.” 

On another day, we went out to Jack’s place to spread fertilizer. It was superphosphate. Dad, my brother Jimmy, and I were there and Dad said to Jack, “I have three fertilizer spreaders in the back of the van.” Jack with a curious look on his face, replied, “Let me see them”.

Dad opened the van door to reveal three shovels. Jack saw the funny side.

We then went about spreading superphosphate around the paddocks.

Why spend more money than is necessary on whatever task you are involved in.

Years ago I was working in hospitality in one of New Zealand’s tourist hotspots (Franz Josef Glacier) when the Head chef drove to the hotel we were working at in a brand new car. A colleague told me that he had bought it for $20,000. My response to that was, “If that was me, I would have bought the cheapest car and invested the rest of the money.

There is a cost of living a champagne lifestyle on a lemonade budget and that cost is financial problems later on down the track. Sooner or later, big ticket items will appear in your life and these will sometimes cost you thousands of dollars. A new car, marriage, followed by children, house deposit, dental and medical bills, and retirement.

Sensible people will prepare for these things by saving a portion of their money every week and investing it in the appropriate funds.

Some people on a good salary spend every single dollar or pound they make living the kind of lifestyle that impresses other people. A flash car, flash clothes, nights out, and have little or nothing to show from working at their job.

All of this because they were living beyond their means. Learn to live modestly and life will be easier for you. This all starts when saving money becomes a habit. That money invested will grow your wealth and when life’s big ticket items comes along then you will be in a position to pay for them rather than borrow.

About this article: You may use this article as content for your website/blog, or ebook. 

The opinions expressed in this article are from the writer’s own opinion and may not be applicable to your circumstances therefore discretion is advised. Read my other articles on www.robertastewart.com

 

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Your Financial Risk Profile

Your risk profile is your tolerance to risk when you are investing your money. Your personal circumstances are what determines your risk profile.

To boil it all down to one factor, your timeline is the big factor to consider. If you are young, in your twenties or thirties then you have more time to recover from a market meltdown than someone in their sixties.

This does not necessarily mean that the young ones should invest all of their money in high-risk high return stocks because you could be in your twenties and have a short to medium timeframe with your investments.

It all depends on what you are going to use the money for.

Split it up in three categories:

Short term money is when you need the money for emergencies and everyday living expenses.

Medium term money is when you need the money within 5 years

Long term money is when you do not need the money for more than 5 years

Short term money

Rainy day account

Every day expenses

School fees

Medium term money

Saving for a car

Saving for an overseas holiday

Long term money

Saving for a mortgage

Contributions to your retirement fund

There has never been so many opportunities for the ordinary man and woman

 in the street to get involved in the markets with so many investing apps available.

You can invest in direct companies or in managed funds.

The latter is recommended.

Managed funds come in three categories:

Growth Funds (long term)

Balanced Funds (medium term)

Conservative Funds (short term)

Growth Funds have the most potential to increase your wealth but you have to be patient because investing in the share market is a long-term game.

Balanced funds are a combination of Growth and Conservative Funds.

Conservative funds are less volatile than growth or balanced funds but they have less potential to increase your wealth apart from just keeping ahead of inflation.

Once you have established your timeline for when you need the money then you can choose the appropriate investment.

One thing to add here is that if you have a rainy day or emergency account then this money is best left in an ordinary savings account at your local bank rather than invested in a conservative managed fund and the reason for this is that fees are higher with managed funds than at your local high street bank.

As already mentioned, your age is a factor in your risk profile but does that mean retired people should not invest in growth funds? Not at all, as long as you’re prepared to stomach any market meltdowns which could see your nest egg dwindle. People are living longer these days so a person retiring at 65 may have another 20 years of life ahead of them.

That being said; it is important to enjoy all of the things which money can buy such as life experiences and not just hoard your money for the sake of it.

Every one’s personal situation is unique, and a strategy needs to take all of this into account. Setting goals which are your own is important and not just trying to follow what others are doing. They have their own life to live, and you have yours. 

I am not saying that you should ignore sound wise advice, but rather listen and use your own sound judgment.

Taking responsibility for your own choices in life applies to your finances as well. Obtaining advice on where to invest is not a license to use your advisor as a scapegoat if your investments are not doing as well as you had hoped. Investing requires patience and time.

About this article: You may use this article as content for your blog, website or eBook. This article is of the writer’s opinion and may not be applicable to your personal circumstances therefore discretion is advised.

Read my other articles on www.robertastewart.com

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What would you do with 50 Million Dollars?

What will I do with the 50 Million lottery Windfall…

Written by R. A. Stewart

That is if I win the thing and I am more likely to get struck by lightning on a fine day than win that thing, especially since I don’t buy a ticket; well, since the pool reached over 50 million dollars for the first time and this particular draw was terminating, which by law, it had to be once it reached 50 million, guess what I did? I bought a ticket for the first time in years., just to give me an interest. 

What would I do if I had won the jackpot?

First of all I would put 50 grand into my nephews and nieces who belong to the kiwisaver retirement scheme. When one is purchasing their first home they are able to access part of their kiwisaver for a deposit on a home. 

They can also access their kiwisaver for a bond if renting but this is only applicable to under thirty year olds.

My nephews and nieces are Toni, Nicholas, Shanae, David, Nick, Kyle, Simon, Hannah, Adam, Cori, Daniel, and Maria.

I would extend this to the next generation down.

Those who are not in kiwisaver would be setup in kiwisaver and receive $10,000 a year for five years to make sure they received the government tax credits each year. After five years they should have enough sense to realise that they need to contribute at least $1040 to receive the full government money.

Anyone who refuses to join kiwisaver under these circumstances don’t deserve to be the recipient of such generosity and sadly there are some who are so thick they will not even bother.

For every one I would buy Frances Cook and Mary Holm’s books on personal finance. I own a copy of their books and highly recommend them. I would also pay for some family members to get financial advice from a financial advisor.

I would also purchase houses and cars for family members who need them.

The rest of the money will be invested and the returns on that investment will be used to do whatever I want to do with the money.

There are plenty of charitable organisations near where I live which could do with the money so I would turn my attention to them and give some of it away.

The Miner’s Hall restoration project needs a million or so to complete the project which they are undertaking.

I have not even given any thought to any overseas travel yet. This would be well down on my priorities, well until I have taken care of family members.

Which kind of reminds me; you had better not fall out with family members because they might be the ones who win the next big power ball draw.

About this article: You may use this article as content for your blog/website, or ebook. 

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Prioritizing your spending

Prioritizing your spending

Written by R. A. Stewart

Life is all about making priorities and it is not all about money and how you prioritize your spending but about what you do with your time. We have different financial commitments and different levels of income but when it comes to time, we all have an allotted 24 hours in the day, no more and no less but our income and how we earn our income will have an effect on how much time we have to devote to the important things in our life.

Many people sacrifice their time for money by spending all of their time working leaving little time for anything else. They are out of balance.

If you have a specific goal in mind such as saving for a house deposit then the sacrifices may be worth it in the long term. Maybe because only you will know whether the long days were truly worth it. It all depends on what your priorities are.

What factors should you consider when setting priorities?

Here are several to consider:

Your commitments

Your debt levels

Your age

Your family circumstances

Your health

Your career

Your pets

It is important that you base your priorities on what is important to you and that you do not try to copy someone else’s figures. There is no one size that fits everyone; it is your own needs and wants which determine how you are going to prioritise your spending.

Everyone has different levels of commitments; these have to be managed as best as you can. Commitments can be financial such as a mortgage or other debt or something more personal such as a relationship. 

Your age is another factor; you are not going to take out a 30 year mortgage when you are 60. If you are in your twenties you will have different priorities. As a young investor you can take more risks with your investing strategy because you have more time to recover from a financial meltdown.

That does not mean being reckless with your investing but rather; taking calculated risks.

Your family circumstances are another factor to weigh up. If you have kids then you will have less disposable cash to play around with than if you are single. The flip side is that if you are in a relationship then you have the advantage of having two incomes which will make it easier to save for major life events such as having kids. It is a good idea to put aside money for this purpose.

Then there is your health to think about. If you are fit and healthy then that is great but as we all know, Father Time catches up on us sooner or later. If you have health issues which lessens your chances of reaching the retirement age then your priorities need to be different from those who are healthy.

Then your career or job is a priority. It has to be your top priority because it pays the bills. It is where you spend so much of your time so a carefully chosen career will help make your life more meaningful. Adding different strings to your bow will give you more options. Learning does not end once you leave school is a lifelong project.

Your pets can bring enjoyment to your life but they can also become a burden to your finances as a lot of people have found during the cost of living crisis. The SPCA were swamped with cats and dogs because people could not afford to keep them. When deciding whether to get a dog or a cat it is important to work out how much this is going to cost you. It is also important to consider the fact that keeping pets fits the discretionary spending category and that money spent on them will be better off going towards the mortgage if you have one or towards your retirement fund. 

As far as pets are concerned, many people let their hearts rule their heads; I mean honestly, why else would one spend a grand on a vet bill for a cat or even more than that on a dog when it would be cheaper just to have the animal put down?

 

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 ebook, website, or blog. Feel free to share this article.

 

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Risk and Reward

Investing risk and Reward

Written by R. A. Stewart

Weighing up the risks and rewards of various investments is doing your due diligence which is the responsibility of every investor.

There is no shortage of choice for investors to get involved with but it is a matter of choosing the ones which are right for your personal circumstances and goals.

Here are my personal views of some of the types of investments available:

High interest accounts with Finance companies

If a company is offering you an investment offering you a high interest; it can only mean that they are also charging high interest to their borrowers and the reason why some people are prepared to pay a higher rate of interest is because they have been turned down by a bank. This could only mean one thing. “These are people who are at a higher risk of defaulting on their loans.”

During the Global Financial Crisis of 2007-2008. Several finance companies in New Zealand went into liquidation. Prior to this some financial commentators warned people that the high interest rates being offered by these companies does not reflect the risk they are taking.

Investing in Gold through an online investing platform

Investors are able to invest in gold through the internet via apps similar to Sharesies, Hatch, and Robinhood but is this a safe way to invest?

I am not so sure because the problem with gold is that it provides no income, therefore investors are relying on capital gains to make money. 

It is the transaction fees which could kill off any likelihood of profit, however, having said that, this is a good way to get involved in gold as an interest for a modest outlay. Just make sure you only use money which you would class as discretionary spending money.

Investing in Bitcoin

Is investing in Bitcoin a safe investment?

My answer to this is that nothing is 100% guaranteed, Bitcoin is a volatile investment. If you are prepared to ride out the lows then you can make capital gains for you. 

It is not a substitute for your retirement fund and under no circumstances should you invest your entire life savings in bitcoin. The same is applicable to the share market and gold.

If you have discretionary spending money then using it to invest in Bitcoin is the way to go and who knows, you may become the next Bitcoin millionaire.

There are risks with Bitcoin but if you use your common sense and learn as much about the risks as you can then you can reduce your chances of making choices which can be costly.

Investors have so many options to invest these days but there comes the risk of losing due to an economic downfall therefore, it pays to be on the conservative side. That is to diversify and spread your money around. 

About this article

This article is of the experience and 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 blog.website or ebook.

Read my other articles on www.robertastewart.com

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What is discretionary income?

What is discretionary income?

This is a question which is important to those who want to balance their household budget. As most people know there are two categories of spending; your needs and wants.

Here is a list of expenditure which can be classed as needs.

Power/heating

Rent/rates

Food

Car expenses

Clothing

Loan repayments

Savings/investments

Some of these items you have some control over. For example you have the ability to choose how much you spend on food. The same is with clothing. You have the option of shopping around for something affordable. You also have control over how much power you use.

Wants are items which are not essential but are optional. Here is a short list of items which are wants:

Holidays

Hobbies

Entertainment

Gambling

Alcohol

Cigarettes

It is what you do with your discretionary spending money which will make a difference to your financial outcome. If you use your money as a seed for your investments then money worries can be a thing of the past. Dental and Medical bills are not cheap and the wise person who sets aside funds for a rainy day can pay for these emergencies in full.

Your personal financial situation will determine what you do with your discretionary spending money. If you have your life ahead of you then you may have more disposable income after your bills have been paid. If you are older you may not have as much disposable income but have more savings behind you.

If you have consumer debt then you do not have any discretionary spending money. Your number one priority as far as your finances are concerned is to pay off that debt. 

It is not how much you make which determines your financial outcome but what you do with how much you make. Some people spend all of their discretionary spending money and are left with nothing until the next pay day.

Here are some stories:

When I was a teenager we were helping a neighbour build a cattle yard on his farm. My father said to the neighbour, “There is no profit in having the best looking cattle yard.”

What he means is that having the nicest looking cattle yard is not going to make any difference to the bottom line profit of the farm.

Years ago, a colleague bought a car for twenty grand. When one of his friends told me, I replied, “If that was me I would have just bought the cheapest car and invested the rest of the money”.

An expensive lifestyle proves costly in the long term. Those who have developed the habit of living modestly are better equipped to deal with the cost of living crisis.

At the end of the day you make your choices and your choices make you.

About this article

The information in this article is of the writer’s opinion and experience and may not be applicable to your personal circumstances therefore discretion is advised.

Disclaimer: Please be aware that if you sign up for sharesies or coinbase through my site then I may receive a small commission.

www.robertastewart.com