I believe that unless you want them to be more complicated, personal finances should be simple.
And I'm definitely not an expert in any regard, in any category.
I'm not an advisor.
You should definitely not take my advice.
I'm just gonna say that outright to cover all the bases.
This video is for entertainment purposes only, and
please talk to an expert if you're thinking about making any changes to your financial situation.
I am not an expert, this is just for entertainment purposes only.
And this is what I do with my personal finances, this is how it's all set up.
I have a debit card with Chase Bank.
I got this in high school when I was just starting to earn my own money,
and I chose Chase at the suggestion of my parents.
I have a credit card with Chase also, and
I got this right after graduating college, after I started my first full-time job
and started going on business trips
where I really needed to rent cars and stay in international hotels
and both of those things are just much easier with a credit card.
I chose Chase just for the sake of simplicity because
I was already familiar with their app and their website and their locations.
I keep my budget listed out in my notes app so I always have it with me
on my laptop or on my phone, and this is what it looks like.
As you can see, I have it divided between credit and debit.
I have all of these bills on auto pay so they automatically charge my credit card every month.
I also have my credit card bill on autopay so this pulls the money
automatically from my checking account to pay off the credit card bill in full every month,
and I receive cash back points for that.
The ones listed under debit are all the things I need to pay for by cash check or Venmo.
I actually pay my rent through Venmo.
I do also have annual memberships for things like Amazon Prime and the Adobe Creative Suite,
but I keep those on a separate tab for annual expenses and I deal with them
annually, so I don't account for them in this monthly budget.
As you can see below this, I have listed out my "emergency fund" expenses,
which basically just cuts my budget down to the bare bones that I would be comfortable with
if I happen to lose my job tomorrow.
I keep this emergency fund as money market cash in a Schwab brokerage account
along with my other brokerage needs,
and I also have a 401k and a Roth IRA through Vanguard.
Both of those companies also I didn't really choose them.
My dad suggested Schwab and then my
employer uses Vanguard, so that just kind of naturally happened that way.
Of course, there are other ways to invest in
yourself that actually don't cost money - instead, they cost time.
This would include things like focusing on skill development to get ahead in your career,
learning to market yourself,
and working on your negotiation skills to keep your salary as high as possible.
Although, sometimes it's actually more beneficial to
stop looking at how to make more money and start looking
at how to not spend the money I have in the first place,
So along with trying to live frugally, a thing that's helpful to be extra aware of
is peer pressure advertisements and social media that makes you feel like you're not enough,
or you don't have enough, or you don't have the right things,
and you'll only ever be happy if you buy this kitchen timer that looks like a hedgehog.
I know it's cute. I know it's cute,
but you know what else is cute?
Having a properly diversified investment portfolio.
Just... for your consideration.
One thing that has actually helped me a lot in both minimalism
and maintaining financial health is taking a moment when you're about to
buy something and think about whether this thing itself is an investment.
Will this thing help you to produce something, learn new skills, or create memorable experiences?
If the answer's no and it's not going to create or produce
more than just itself, then maybe reconsider the purchase.
Overall, the most valuable thing that I can offer you
is to say that when it comes to personal finance, no question is a stupid question.
All questions involving your money are completely valid, and you should ask them,
and you should find things out from experts, and you should do your research.
No question is stupid, because you can't learn if you don't first admit what you don't know.
I personally would like to learn more myself.
I do keep it simple, but I think that the intricacies of finances can be
kind of interesting and sometimes newsworthy.
I am actually interested in possibly making a
little series of super simple personal finances - like the "basics of the basics,"
just for people in case they don't know where else to turn.
So let me know if that's something you're interested in seeing,
and of course, again, I am not any kind of financial advisor.
I am not an expert.
But - I think that's maybe why it could be interesting to hear it in the voice and the
words of a "normie" who just learned these things herself and is sharing them with you.
Could be helpful.
Maybe not.
I don't know.
'til next time!
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