You and Your Money

Chapter One: Money and Yourself TEST YOURSELF.Is the relationship between yourself and money a healthy one, or is it a potential source of trouble? To find out, answer the questions below -- andbe honest! How Do You Score?There are no passing or failing grades on this quiz (or on any quiz in this book). But every "no" answer indicates an area on which you need to focus to get your financial relationships in order. For helpful advice and guidance, read on. Know Yourself As a TV money educator and the author of several books of money advice, I've learned that everyone needs to develop his or her own style of financial management. My way of earning, saving, spending, and investing money won't necessarily work for you, and vice versa. The first step is being comfortable in your own skin: knowing and accepting who you are, what you want, and what money means to you. Success with money isn't matter of having a big bank account (although that doesn't hurt). The real key is your attitude toward yourself and toward the money you have. The wisdom of ancient Greece -- "Know thyself" -- remains as powerful today as ever. It's at the heart of being a smart money manager. And although it sounds simple, even obvious, "knowing thyself" can be surprisingly difficult to achieve. Getting to Know You Here are eight specific exercises you can do that will help you get to know your own money habits and tendencies better. You don't necessarily have to perform all eight; instead, you can pick the two or three that seem most relevant to you, and see what they can teach you. 1. Keep a diary of your spending and the emotions that go with it.Buy a little notebook especially for the purpose, and carry it with you everywhere you go for a month. During that time, write down everything you buy, no matter how big or how small. List each purchase and its price. Include items for which you pay cash (like your morning coffee and newspaper) and items you buy with a check or a credit/debit card (like a new CD or a piece of furniture). At the end of the day, take a moment to add a brief note describing how you feel about that day's spending. Do you feel joy? Guilt? Regret? Disappointment? Contentment? What you write will vary from day to day, of course. One day you might write, "I'm so excited about the new shoes I bought today. They'll go perfectly with the outfit I'm wearing tomorrow. I can't wait to see what my friends in the office say!" Another day you might write, "I feel bad about spending so much money on snacks and drinks today. I really meant to save that cash for the weekend. Hope I can do better tomorrow." There will be times when keeping the diary feels like a total bore or a nuisance. You'll be tempted to quit. Don't! A full month's worth of notes will tell you a lot about your money habits, good and bad, and help you understand the ways in which your money habits bring you happiness and grief. 2. Examine your sources of income.On a sheet of paper, list everyone who provided you with any money during the past year, along with the amounts you received. A few of these sources will be obvious: the salary paid by your employer or the income from your own business, for example. Others may be easy to overlook. Did you receive any payments from the federal, state, or local government? Did your parents or other family members give or lend you money? Did you receive money from a romantic partner, an ex-spouse, or a friend? Did you do any part-time work for which you received a formal or informal payment? Did you get dividend or interest payments from stocks, bonds, or mutual funds that you own, or money from a trust account? Did you win money from a lottery, a contest, or gambling? Did you receive money as a result of a lawsuit or an insurance claim? List everythHall, Alvin is the author of 'You and Your Money', published 2008 under ISBN 9780743279598 and ISBN 074327959X.