Monevation

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 [...]

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 [...]

(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. [...]

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 [...]

What do you really want from your online stockbroker? Security? Cheap dealing charges? Low or no annual fees? Special offers? All well and good. After five years of dealing online, however – and especially during the recent bear market – I’ve discovered something else matters. Something you may think sounds silly, but which will make [...]

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 [...]

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 than will ever read The Millionaire Next Door? But what if [...]

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 [...]

There are no true short cuts in investing, but I believe there are some subtle benefits in targeting income when making your investment plans.

Debt isn’t just painful because of the interest bill you pay. There’s also the long-term value of that money if you’d saved and invested it instead.

Your debt makes other people rich. You’re borrowing from your future self, who will be poorer, less secure, or lead a less abundant life because you wanted something now, before you could afford it. You must get out of debt. You can’t save while you’re in debt, and it grows like a weed. Kill it! [...]

To get the most from your money in the long-term, you need to know what you own, what you owe, how much you bring in every month from your earnings, savings and investments, how much goes out again, and thus whether you’re living beyond your means. Completing this personal reckoning is step two of my [...]

The first step to financial freedom starts with how you think about money. You must resolve, now, to get your finances in order. Stop fantasizing that a lottery win or an inheritance is going to make you rich overnight, and resolve to do it for yourself. Commit to setting long-term financial goals, and to learning [...]

Whoever you are and wherever you come from, there are 10 steps you can follow that, given time, will secure you a wealthy future. You’ll need to cut you cloth to suit your own position, sure, but don’t fool yourself – these steps have applied throughout the ages, across civilisations, and they certainly apply to [...]

“Do as I do, not as I say” is a useful maxim in life. It’s one instinctively understood by children (“But daddy, you ate three packets of crisps and YOU never clean YOUR room – it’s unfair!”) and politicians (“But you, Snouty and Fatcat already have knighthoods – it’s unfair!”). But can mimicking the wealthy [...]