A little Humor in the PF World

Humor is something we don’t find very often in personal finance. And that is probably for a good reason. As my grandmother would say “T’ain’t funny McGee”

If you have never heard that phrase, it comes from the Fibber McGee and Molly radio show that was broadcast in the 30’s, 40’s and 50’s! Molly (Marian Jordan) would use the expression to deflate Fibber McGee (Jim Jordan) after Fibber had told one of his stale jokes.

While I got a chuckle out of the comic below, I could not help but think “T’ain’t funny McGee”

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How many sodas do you drink a day?

“A man’s true wealth is his health.” - The Buddha.

I definitely agree with the Buddha on this one. I appreciate the wisdom, but this is one of those lessons in life that you must learn for yourself – since it seems no one gives it much thought until they have a brush with disaster or just plain get old. Most of us take our health for granted.

Fortunately, I’ve always had a keen interest in health and exercise and tend to read a lot of health and fitness information, magazines, etc. So, I consider myself fairly informed about health issues. Yet, I have been astounded by some of the factoids that I have come across while reading You: Staying Young: The Owner's Manual for Extending Your Warranty (You) by Roizen and Oz.

One of the most interesting and alarming tips concerns the consumption of fizzy, syrupy drinks. Evidently, drinking these types of beverages increases your chances of pancreatic cancer substantially! I could hardly believe it; so I Googled it and found all kinds of sources that backed up the claim. For instance, this MSNBC article references a Swedish study that makes the statement:

The group of people who said they drank fizzy or syrup-based drinks twice a day or more ran a 90 percent higher risk of getting cancer of the pancreas than those who never drank them.

Twice a day? That’s two cokes a day. Now, there is the caveat that this type of cancer is very rare, so increasing your chances by 90% is still a smallish number. But, just knowing that there is a coke to cancer correlation is rather disturbing. I realize just about anything in excess can cause health problems, but two sodas a day? Basically, your doubling your odds by drinking a couple of silly cokes.

Nowadays, I will only occasionally have a soda, but there was a time in my early twenties that I drank two diet cokes a day, like clockwork. I didn’t think much of it, because everybody that I knew drank sodas with some drinking 5-6 Dr Peppers a day!

Why isn’t this information more available to the public? Isn’t that one of the roles of the Surgeon General? To educate the public on possible health issues? A lot of this information is fairly simple and straightforward and it just seems like it ought to be brought to the attention of the citizens. Of course, there may be some who would rather not have this information available to anyone.....

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Quote of the Week - The Will to Win is Worthless without the Will to Prepare

One of my all time favorite quotations. This maxim is applicable to so many aspects of everyday life. We all want to win, but the one who wants it the most will prepare. Whether its studying for an exam, practicing for a sporting event, preparing for a speech, or researching a new idea, the one who spends the time upfront will be the most likely to succeed. That individual may not be the most athletic or the most talented, but they will be ready to do their best.

Just saying that you want to win rings hollow, if you have not already practiced hard. Your team mates will see through this. While your own conscience will allow the self doubt to creep forward and erode your confidence. Before long even you will question whether you can succeed.

Similarly, in matters of personal finance, we all want stellar returns that beat the market. But who is willing to do the due diligence required for planning, researching, analyzing risk and maintaining their investments to improve their portfolio’s performance?

Personal Finance Quote of the Week

Quotes are great. They can be insightful and thought provoking. I am a long time subscriber to A.Word.A.Day. I look forward to learning a new word everyday, but my favorite part is the quote at the end of the message. Over the years, I have saved several quotations into a favorites document. Now, once a week I plan to share one of those quotes and relate it to PF, of course.

He will always be a slave who does not know how to live upon a little. -Horace, poet and satirist (65-8 BCE)

This is the cornerstone to successful PF. Living upon little and spending less than you earn. As long as you are overspending, you are in debt to others and you are in their servitude. Think about it. Could you quit your job tomorrow and pursue your dreams? Walk away and not worry about any bills or creditors coming for you? Probably not. We work to pay our debts. Some never pay off those debts, instead they accumulate more and more debt and remain bound and chained to unfulfilling jobs. True freedom is being a master of your own time – being financially able to walk away.