This is a small sample of a big hole in financial education. I know many people earning well over $100K a year, still deep in debt and in fear of losing their job. And they finished college and masters degree.
Main problem is we are taught to spend all of our income. We cannot be outdone by the neighbors, if they buy a nice car we have to buy a better one. And in this race to keep up with the Joneses, we burn all of our income and then some. The worst part, it is a race we cannot win: there will be always someone spending more than us, and our ego wants to compete with them.
So, any good financial advice should start with frugality. All of middle class could live comfortably with only half of their income. Rest is easy to invest: 3 months of expenses on liquid assets, rest on an stock index fund like Vanguard VTI. Only term insurance while there are children needing it. A highschooler can understand it, still most of our society does not have a clue.
Main problem is we are taught to spend all of our income. We cannot be outdone by the neighbors, if they buy a nice car we have to buy a better one. And in this race to keep up with the Joneses, we burn all of our income and then some. The worst part, it is a race we cannot win: there will be always someone spending more than us, and our ego wants to compete with them.
So, any good financial advice should start with frugality. All of middle class could live comfortably with only half of their income. Rest is easy to invest: 3 months of expenses on liquid assets, rest on an stock index fund like Vanguard VTI. Only term insurance while there are children needing it. A highschooler can understand it, still most of our society does not have a clue.
