When it comes to personal finance, we tend to idealize money.
We think of certain financial habits as, simply, good or bad.
Simplifying money this way can really limit the way we handle our finances.
Financial writer Carl Richards explains that money is generally thought of in terms of spending and saving.
Spending is bad; saving is good.
But this is a really basic view that can make personal finance intimidating.
It makes us feel guilty for spending, even when it’s practical.
It can make usoverly obsessed with saving.
They’re not meant to sit on a shelf and collect dust.
It circulates from us to other people then back to us again.
Even when we save money, we’re simply storing it for use later.
When we use money today, we’re not spending it or blowing it.
We no longer need to think in terms of good and bad, positive or negative.
We’re focused on the outcome of our actions.
Richards suggests a much more logical way to think about money.
And, yes, money doesrepresentcertain idealsfinancial freedom and security for instance.
But in this way, it’s still a means to an end.
For more detail, check out Richards' full post.
Rethinking Money, Not as Good or Bad but as a Tool| The New York Times
Photo byTax Credits.
