Welcome to More than Cash: What to do with your money now that you're finally making some
Summary
There are a lot of smart, high earning (or trying to be high earning) individuals who are good at saving and budgeting but aren't sure what accounts or investments will set them up for the most financial security and the least risk.. It's not because you're not smart enough, it's just because no one taught you.
Does this sound like you?
In late summer 2021, I was having dinner with a few colleagues, and one—who had done particularly well the previous few years—asked the group if we invested our money. I thought, Doesn’t everyone? My dad taught me this stuff when I was a kid! but I kept my mouth shut, curious to hear what others said.
One said, “Buy the S&P all day long!” but something about his tone made me question the depth of his knowledge.
Another shared that her brother-in-law had advised, “What do you need with investing? Put it in the bank.”
Another said he’d recently started working with a financial advisor and was learning the basics. From the conversation, I could tell he was learning some valuable principles and that the framework was new to him.
So I started thinking: How many people like my colleagues are out there? Young-to-maturing professionals who are working toward a financially stable—or even lucrative—future, who know the value of saving, and who for the first time are starting to make some money . . . and now find themselves unsure of what to do with their money?
When I started asking around, it quickly became apparent that many people who are not in the financial services industry fit into this category.
As I researched literature in the realm of personal finance, I noticed a gap in what exists on the market today. There are books and articles about getting started on the journey of financial health and stability that cover topics like why you shouldn’t borrow cash against your credit card, and there are also books so in-depth that they seem to prepare you for a career as an economics professor—but there are very few consolidated resources for someone who is somewhere in the middle of those two ends of the spectrum.
So what's the problem with that?
The trouble is that there's a whole group of people who are accumulating savings but aren't putting that money to work. If you're not investing your money - or at least putting it in a high-yield savings account - you're turning down free money.
The cash in your regular checking or regular savings account is literally costing you money.
What is the solution?
For starters, a high-yield savings account, a brokerage account, and ensuring the money in your 401(k) or IRA is actually invested,
It's easier than you think. If you devote about 90 minutes to learning about different accounts and strategies (which is justttt about how long it should take you to read More Than Cash), and another 90 minutes to taking some action on what you learned, you can set yourself up for a much more financially stable future.
Why take it from me?
I grew up in a household where the discussion of personal finance fundamentals was common. As a student, I spent two summers interning in finance, an experience that cultivated my own interest in the field. And in adulthood, I have continued to hone those skills throughout my career in business and an ongoing interest in investing.
But otherwise, I'm like you: I have a normal, non-financy job. I rent a normal apartment in New York City. I spend my time doing normal things. If I can figure out personal finances, so can you.
I hope to pass some of what I know along to you - without the financial jargon that makes us all cringe - so you can make the most of your money.
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