25 Signs That Show You Know How to Handle Money (cont.)

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By A. B. Jacobs
www.onthemoneytrail.com

15. Although you thoroughly enjoy the home in which you live, it’s considerably less expensive than you can afford.

16. You know practically nothing about the option market—and intend to keep it that way.

17. You feel instinctively that every dollar you contribute in FICA taxes to the Social Security system is a dollar lost to you forever.

18. Whenever you’re negotiating a purchase and qualify to receive a discount, you do not hesitate to ask for it.

19. You entertain no illusions that a financial advisor will provide sound counsel merely because of the Certified Financial Planner (CFP) designation held.

20. You make the maximum possible contribution to your retirement funds.

21.  Whether your choice of lipstick is the $20 Chanel selection from Macy's, the $5.46 Max Factor brand from Osco Drug, or the 94¢ Wet 'n Wild tube from Target, you recognize that the essential ingredients are the same.

22. You find it baffling why anyone would buy a lottery ticket.

23. You cannot remember when you last borrowed money for an unexpected emergency.

24. The newspaper advertisement offering a half-pound silver commemorative medallion from The Perfidious Mint, at the “special advance price of only 139 dollars,” forces you to suppress a laugh.

25. You have no confidence in the concept of “Investor Confidence.”

If the sentiments expressed in most of those situations do not reflect your thinking, you’re not in control of your financial destiny.  In that case, you can use a little guidance. 

If you answered the majority of the questions with a yes, pat your self on the back and keep up the good work.

AL JACOBS has been a professional investor for nearly four decades. His business experience ranges from real estate, mortgage, and securities investment to appraisal, civil engineering, and the operation of a private trust company. In addition to managing his investments on a day-to-day basis, he is a featured financial columnist for both online and print publications. He is the author of Nobody’s Fool: A Skeptic’s Guide to Prosperity. You may subscribe to his financial Newsletter, "On the Money Trail," at no cost or obligation, by visiting www.onthemoneytrail.com.

Over 40% of US families spend more than they earn.

~Federal Reserve