The road...
A few months ago, my wonderful and expecting (just ask her! She'll tell you all about it! Wanna touch her body inappropriately? She loves when people do the "Wax on/Wax off on her belly!) friend Mary turned me on to a personal finance blog called: Get Rich Slowly
I've always had a strained relationship with myself regarding finances. My tendencies both to procrastinate and simply bury my head in the non-scary sand has bitten me in the ass on many occasions. My credit has suffered and I had lost some of the financial freedoms others have had. Had I continued this way, I would probably spend the rest of my life pouring money into rental properties (with nothing to show for it) and I certainly would never be able to retire. The worst part of the way I was approaching my money is that not only was it (at best) reactive, it caused me a lot of shame.
Money is something that seems to cut to everyone's core. For so many, it represents personal worth and ability. This is a familiar concept to me. I often lamented in music school that our identity and worth was too tied to musical progress, potential and even individual performances. It's as though one off practice session or one late bill is a complete representation of who you are presently and for the rest of your life.
All that being said, learning about finances and investing has been a big source of pride lately. I'm eager to share what I've learned and I'm getting a lot of personal satisfaction from approaching my financial future head on. I'm making plans! I'm taking on a second job (for which I have an interview in about 2 hours) to contribute to my fancy new ING Orange savings account (with 4.5% APY! No more lazy money!)
I have a lot to say on the subject. In the near future, I intend to cover all the issues I'm currently thinking about and dealing with: Self-employment as a musician, taxes, retirement, budgeting, saving and hopefully some book reviews.
In an episode of 'Six Feet Under', James Cromwell's character George is asked about his progress after shock treatments and severe psychosis:
Every day, in every way, I am getting better and better
I've always had a strained relationship with myself regarding finances. My tendencies both to procrastinate and simply bury my head in the non-scary sand has bitten me in the ass on many occasions. My credit has suffered and I had lost some of the financial freedoms others have had. Had I continued this way, I would probably spend the rest of my life pouring money into rental properties (with nothing to show for it) and I certainly would never be able to retire. The worst part of the way I was approaching my money is that not only was it (at best) reactive, it caused me a lot of shame.
Money is something that seems to cut to everyone's core. For so many, it represents personal worth and ability. This is a familiar concept to me. I often lamented in music school that our identity and worth was too tied to musical progress, potential and even individual performances. It's as though one off practice session or one late bill is a complete representation of who you are presently and for the rest of your life.
All that being said, learning about finances and investing has been a big source of pride lately. I'm eager to share what I've learned and I'm getting a lot of personal satisfaction from approaching my financial future head on. I'm making plans! I'm taking on a second job (for which I have an interview in about 2 hours) to contribute to my fancy new ING Orange savings account (with 4.5% APY! No more lazy money!)
I have a lot to say on the subject. In the near future, I intend to cover all the issues I'm currently thinking about and dealing with: Self-employment as a musician, taxes, retirement, budgeting, saving and hopefully some book reviews.
In an episode of 'Six Feet Under', James Cromwell's character George is asked about his progress after shock treatments and severe psychosis:
Every day, in every way, I am getting better and better