tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37476114.post206354304678719850..comments2024-03-24T03:19:18.249-04:00Comments on An English Major's Money: Is Financial Savvy Compatible with a Creative Lifestyle?English Majorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00276582833751319518noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37476114.post-42575617752177081612007-03-24T22:44:00.000-04:002007-03-24T22:44:00.000-04:00Hi EM:If my experience is anything to go by, I thi...Hi EM:<BR/><BR/>If my experience is anything to go by, I think you may be making a lot of assumptions about your friend's lack of financial sophistication.<BR/><BR/>As an artist myself, I currently work full-time day job hours in order to support my "art habit". Yet in the past, I have worked contract-to-contract, never knowing when it would come to an end and my income would dry up for an unpredictable period of time, leaving me to subsist on whatever money I had managed to save while working. <BR/><BR/>Back then, I was also saving as much money as I could towards the lump-sum tuition required for entry into art school, without the luxury of being able to save by living with my parents, etc.<BR/><BR/>I've been in continuous employment for four years now, though not always in the same job. (Not an art job, sadly!) I believe that it is in finding some income stability that opens your mind up to the possibility of saving for the future. <BR/><BR/>Not that you can't do this if your income isn't stable; but that in that instance, your mind is predisposed to worrying about if you can make next month's rent, bills, etc. It's harder to see, or be inclined to see, the bigger landscape when your income next winter is uncertain.<BR/><BR/>So don't judge her, give her a break: while we all could stand to manage our money a bit smarter, your financial independence may just be on a bit more secure footing than hers is right now, or is likely to be in the near future.<BR/><BR/>Your faithful reader,<BR/>MeadowAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37476114.post-89565942156705762392007-03-21T18:13:00.000-04:002007-03-21T18:13:00.000-04:00Your friend could really learn from you. Here's h...Your friend could really learn from you. Here's hoping she does! I have a friend (45 years old) who prides himself on being "creative" and not copping to the conventional "go to a job" type of life (he trains artists in Africa to go to market with their product; sounds cool, yep)but he has NO savings. NOTHING. When I have broached savingw with him in the past (incl. retirement) he makes it clear that he is NOT into it at all and I suspect sees me as a crazy selfish capitalist. sigh.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37476114.post-57861720554963601202007-03-18T06:34:00.000-04:002007-03-18T06:34:00.000-04:00I have a non-pf question ... what's the difference...I have a non-pf question ... what's the difference between toward and towards? I always get confused on that point.Well Heeled Bloghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01018900786722067679noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37476114.post-42494589899338087002007-03-18T00:39:00.000-04:002007-03-18T00:39:00.000-04:00English major -- what you say is spot on -- especi...English major -- what you say is spot on -- especially since I'm growing more fond of the "Law of Attraction" mindset (ok, I'm not a total convert but it's got a grain of truth to it). <BR/><BR/>It seems to me that if you want to be free artistically, if you know that you have a financial cushion to fall back on you'll be able to pursue bigger risks than if you are living hand to mouth. There's nothing ennobling about struggling to pay for rent and groceries -- it's simply a burden and it can be a dead weight.<BR/><BR/>Good for you! If you haven't read "The Richest Man in Babylon" give that a try or recommend it to doubters.<BR/><BR/>P.S. -- I was an English (and philsophy) major too, and so I've been there. My first years out of college were really rough -- hang in there you seem like you are doing great. And my above comments are cold hard experience -- through all my times of being cash strapped, I've found it impossibly difficult to take big risks on my writing and art like I'd like to. Instead I stuff my creativity day by day in the interest of getting financially free.<BR/><BR/>db<BR/>www.debtblitzkrieg.comAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37476114.post-69830688924269034802007-03-16T08:03:00.000-04:002007-03-16T08:03:00.000-04:00You know, if she was actually interested, I would ...You know, if she was actually interested, I would advise that she read the book "the wealthy barber". It is a very easy read and a very basic introduction to the ideas of personal finance (not the nity gritty of how to pick a mutual fund or anything). The biggest thing I learned when I started to do the who PF and Frugality thing was the whole "Pay yourself first" idea-and that went right into the retirement savings. It sounds like it would be so easy for your friend to do that. Heck-even if it was only a small amount each month, at least it would be SOMETHING.Jenn @ Frugal Upstatehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11737088723989230434noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37476114.post-13425282374857036652007-03-16T08:01:00.000-04:002007-03-16T08:01:00.000-04:00Hey,I found your blog the other day and read the w...Hey,<BR/><BR/>I found your blog the other day and read the whole thing in one sitting. I am also a 23 year old who just opened up a ROTH and have found your entries to be relevant and entertaining. <BR/><BR/>I'm studying to be an opera singer and I realized I will never have a 401(k) and probably not social security, so who else can I depend upon for my retirement than myself? It amazes me that people who spend so much time planning for auditions and the near future spend no time concerned about the distant future.<BR/><BR/>Keep up the great work!<BR/><BR/>JonAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37476114.post-6441176766809451412007-03-15T18:16:00.000-04:002007-03-15T18:16:00.000-04:00Bravo! When I was your age, though (ha! as if it w...Bravo! When I was your age, though (ha! as if it were so long ago!), I had nothing invested simply because I didn't know what I was doing. Rather than look at you like an alien if you'd said that to me, I'd start grilling you for information. :)A. Marigoldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17250396680228283382noreply@blogger.com