GOLDEN RULES
❚ Despair paralyses ❚ Every dollar saved improves your lot ❚ Hope plus action equals a better retirement
broke in retirement, and roughly the same proportion who couldn’t go on paying the bills for more than a couple of months, if they lost their job.
That was me presenting the darkness before the dawn.
The dawn was to be me laying out the strategies to get control of your finances.
And then the segment was over.
I hadn’t made all my points. I thought I’d have more time.
Homer closed the segment saying I’d frightened her.
I didn’t mean to,’’ I blurted out in reply.
‘‘Yes you did,’’ she said, or words to that effect.
I’d accidentally broken one of my cardinal money man rules: Don’t be a fear monger.
I hate fear-mongering money writers, the ones who write articles saying you need a million dollars or you’ll spend your retirement rotting in a silent agony of poverty.
But that was how I had come
‘‘The only thing we have to fear is fear itself- nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyses needed efforts to convert retreat into advance.’’
across. I was told as much to my face by a beautiful TV person.
I’ve always tried to be the guy who says: ‘‘Hey, you may not be in a good place, but here’s how to get to a better one.’’
Everyone can make things better. Everyone can do the little things that month by month, improve their lots, reduce their debts, and lift their savings.
I was going to tell people not to panic, and that we have a wonderful system in NZ Super. It’s efficient, easy to understand, and is the envy of other countries.
It means you won’t starve in retirement. It also means every dollar you put into KiwiSaver will make things better.
So save that dollar, and be less scared.
Shamelessly, I amgoing to quote US president Franklin Roosevelt. ‘‘The only thing we have to fear is fear itselfnameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyses needed efforts to convert retreat into advance.’’
In my humble, optimistic way, that’s the message I try to spread about personal finances.
I’ll not forget my TV fail. If you saw it, I hope you will.