From the category archives:

Monevation

Are you wasting your money on memories?

by The Investor on March 3, 2010

Happiness or money or monks?

The intersection of money, consumption, and happiness is a crucial topic.

  • Higher incomes do not make you happy, after a certain point. (After you’ve read this post and watched the video you’ll know the exact income required for happiness!)

Perhaps it’s our growing understanding of these truths that’s led to the new cultural trend (or revival) of seeking experiences instead of chasing money or material goods.

Ditch the consumer lifestyle, and consume life instead!

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Get out of debt to unleash your inner money maker

by The Investor on February 22, 2010

The series I ran on why you must get out of debt looked at how credit cards can double the price you pay, the cost of foregone investments, and why mortgages are the only good debt.

But here’s another reason to get out of debt. It’s hard to price, but it may be the most valuable benefit of all.

It’s peace of mind and freedom to make money.

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Pros and cons of being wealthy

February 17, 2010
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If you’re an oligarch, a millionaire rockstar, a property tycoon or you just struck oil off the coast of Brazil – brother, I feel your pain.

26 comments

Three crucial steps to making new year resolutions work

January 1, 2010
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To achieve a new year’s resolution, you have to REALLY want to achieve it. Then turn your goals into a winning action plan.

6 comments

My 10 rules to stay sexy and save money

December 30, 2009
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Don’t spend £500 on gym membership this January. Get fit and healthy for free instead of staying fat and spending money.

5 comments

Facing mortality when you have a family

December 4, 2009
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If you have a husband or wife and kids, it would likely change how you’d spend and invest before meeting your maker.

2 comments

How would you spend and save if you knew exactly when you were going to die?

December 4, 2009
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If you knew the date and age you’d die at, it would enable you to plan very precisely for the future.

5 comments

Think long term (or kiss goodbye to civilisation)

November 11, 2009
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Nobody ever won a girl or wrote a pop song by thinking long term. But being a little bit boring goes a long way.

2 comments

The unseen assets on your balance sheet

November 5, 2009
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My friend suspects I’m wealthier than him just because my money is in shares, while his is in property. He’s wrong.

15 comments

Perfect 10 investing

November 2, 2009
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The world of chasing endless beauty queens in the absence of all other kinds of women or relationships isn’t for me.

3 comments

You don’t have to be rich to treat yourself

August 10, 2009
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Once you’re aware of the process of your perception of the value of money changing over time, I believe you can take steps to try to master lifestyle inflation.

2 comments

How buying an iPhone can help make you rich

July 31, 2009
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I can afford to buy an iPhone. So why haven’t I bought one, and can I afford not to?

6 comments

10 money mistakes I have made

July 24, 2009
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I have made financial mistakes just like anyone else – but maybe not the same mistakes.

10 comments

Young people are already rich

July 22, 2009
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The difference that spending £100 a month less on clothes in your twenties and investing it will make to your future is incredible.

11 comments

How to make one million pounds

June 15, 2009
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I have written before about how much interest you’d earn on a million pounds. But how do you make your million pounds in the first place?

2 comments

Coping with the guilt of losing money

February 9, 2009

It’s normal to feel frustrated, angry or even foolish when you lose money on your investments. But what about guilt?
My portfolio’s fall from its peak value in summer 2007 to a low in October 2008 represents a big loss for a 30-something private investor like me: at least a couple of years of after-tax income [...]

2 comments

The really obvious thing we all forget when borrowing money

January 23, 2009

Have you ever wondered who you’re borrowing money off when you go into debt? If you think you’re being given money by a bank or credit card company, think again.
In this post I will explain in one sentence who is really lending you money when you borrow.
The rest of the article will explain why it [...]

6 comments

Money can’t buy me love

December 31, 2008

What follows is a personal post, but I believe it’s relevant to investing. I won’t be discussing underpriced stocks or earning more money. Instead I’ll share something that for me puts the business of personal finance into perspective. Call it an end of year message.
I’m visiting my parents. In the next room, my gentle and intelligent father [...]

6 comments

Stanford researchers prove you can spend 20% less on gifts for the same result

December 30, 2008

Image by: monstershaq
Bad news: When your sister, mother or lover said “You really shouldn’t have” when you gave them that expensive gift, they meant it. You should have shopped smarter and saved your money instead.

3 comments

Do you run a tight ship or are you just a tightwad?

December 21, 2008

Anyone who reads personal finance blogs is clearly more interested in money than the average person. If you write a personal finance blog, you’re even more interested in money (even if blogging won’t make you any).
Can you be too interested? Are we deluding ourselves into thinking we’re being economically literate, whereas really we’re just being [...]

2 comments

How much interest do you earn on a million pounds?

December 15, 2008

Congratulations, you’re a millionaire, and you found this site by asking Google: How much interest do you earn on a million pounds?
How did you make a million pounds? Perhaps:

You won the lottery
You robbed a bank
You sold a small terraced house in central London
You married someone who owned a large terraced house then you got divorced
Maybe [...]

1 comment

Three new ways to control your spending

December 12, 2008

In this post, I’ll outline three methods I’ve successfully used to stop me spending money on stuff I didn’t really need.
Warning: All three methods are a bit unusual!
1. Reserve it on Amazon
Nearly everything is cheaper to buy online. If I’m out shopping and I see something I like, I try to:

Postpone the purchase until I [...]

4 comments

Proof that falling share prices can be good for your portfolio

December 5, 2008

When you’re investing in a bear market, it’s easy to forget that share prices can go up as well as down. This daily volatility scares people off during bull markets, too. It can be hard to watch your net worth fluctuate according to the whims of Wall Street (which is one reason I believe it’s [...]

0 comments

Learn how to get rich from a video game

November 28, 2008

Fable II is a video game, in which you play a hero and business mogul. In this post I’ll explain what it can teach you about making money.
Lesson 1: Jobs mean money, but gosh they can be dull
You begin Fable II as an orphan with a dog. Slaying bandits and collecting gold to buy food [...]

2 comments

Five ways your pet could cost your pension dear

August 26, 2008

(Image: annia316)
I love animals, and I’ve kept pets since I was a child. They’re funny, sometimes loyal, they make me happy, and they keep me in touch with nature.
Over the past 20 years or so, though, pets have turned from being relatively cheap additions to the household into major moneypits.
I’ve succumbed myself. When I was [...]

0 comments

Five lessons for investors from Michael Phelps’ Olympic triumph

August 15, 2008

Do you have the vision, determination and commitment of swimmer Michael Phelps? You might not have his 6′ 4″ tall frame and dolphin-like body, but even as investors we can learn from his stunning achievements.
I let go of my Olympic dreams when medical complications sent me to hospital aged 18. Before then, I’d been a [...]

0 comments

How a boring broker will make you richer

August 14, 2008

(Image: Luis Fabres)
What do you want from an online stockbroker?

Security
Low dealing charges
Low or no annual fees
Good interest on free cash (good luck!)
Offers, such as free trading for a few months
Dealing inside the spread (the buying and selling price of a stock) to save a little with each trade

All good, but after five years of dealing [...]

8 comments

Four more ways to stop a financial crisis derailing your money goals

April 1, 2008

So you’ve done your four financial crisis checks:

Your savings are safe
They’re earning more interest
You’ve got a plan to pay off any debt
Your mortgage is sorted for the foreseeable future.

Time to turn over and fall back to sleep?
Possibly. I’m serious! It’s often too late to Do Something once a financial crisis is underway. If you follow [...]

2 comments

Who’s your Star Wars money hero?

March 4, 2008

Space operas are exciting, with droids, blasters and galaxies far, far, away. Financial advice is often dull, and focussed on doing without, dying, and matters down, down to Earth. Is it any wonder millions more of us watched the lamentable Episode 1: Phantom Menace [...]

18 comments

The secret to investing when stock markets are falling

February 20, 2008

Catching up with some of my favourite financial blogs (no, Monevator.com is not an island!), I’ve noticed a sour note on those that follow the net worth of the author (e.g. My 1st Million at 33 and Accumulating Money).
I admire these writers for putting their cojones on the line so publicly. My thoughts certainly shouldn’t [...]

10 comments

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