Middle Aged…

One thing I think everyone should learn by the time they are middle aged is personal finances.  Honestly, they should learn it earlier than that.  My personal experience, however,  is that finances are something most people will screw up a few times before they get the hang of it.  By the time one reaches my age (late twenties), they will likely be in the process of settling down.  Settling down, to many, equates to marriage, children, homeownership, and good old American debt.  Better financial planning at an earlier age can mean the prospect of actually retiring at a reasonable age.  Moreover, a middle aged individual should know better than to overextend themselves with revolving credit.  Sadly, some people just don’t learn (my father, for example).  It’s one thing to disadvantage yourself because of poor decisions, but it’s quite another to affect your spouse or child’s quality of life because you don’t know how to manage your funds.  I fully believe that these lessons can be taught by parents or consultants, but the learning happens by getting burned once…twice…thrice…

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