An Unusually Good Resolution
MarketWatch recently asked several financial planners for their thoughts on the "most fruitful personal finance moves" people could make. Many of the usual suspects made the list: increase retirement savings, don't go too crazy with holiday spending. But one suggestion stood out from all the rest: "Buy a really nice gift for your spouse."
Matt's View
After reading lots of lists of recommended financial resolutions for the New Year, that suggestion lifted the glaze right off my eyes. And I agree with it wholeheartedly. After all, the best reason to manage money wisely is to make a difference in the lives of those we love.
Just keep in mind that "a really nice gift" doesn't have to have four wheels or fit around a finger. Maybe the nicest gift for your marriage would be to get out of debt once and for all. Then again, maybe it would be the "investment" of bringing home flowers once a month. Of course, this doesn't just apply to married people. Maybe the best gift you could buy your parents is an unexpected present unrelated to any holiday or anniversary--something just to celebrate them and thank them for all that they've done for you.
What came to your mind as you read this? What's one way you could invest in a relationship that really matters to you in the New Year? Please send me a note and let me know what you came up with.
Managing Money by The Book
- "Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock." - Matthew 7:24-25
Recommended Resources
- Money, Purpose, Joy - Discussion Guide
- If you want to take your relationship with money to a whole new level, bring the subject into your small group. It can be scary to open up about money, at least at first. But the "Money, Purpose, Joy Discussion...…Read the rest
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