This is my life. It's a good one and I know I'm very lucky. I'm privelged and it started with my father being a doctor and having a steady, high income. It set up my family for success: we were able to live in a large, beautiful home in a safe town, my sister was able to go to a private high school, we could afford a skating career for me, and both my brother and sister when to school in NYC.
It was a good life. But then, the effects of workaholic-ism creeped in. It created tension in my father and the ways he found stress-relief outlets were less than ideal. It mean my mom was running a household of 3 children, pretty much on her own. And she later worked at the businesses my father bought. Our family had always worked hard, each and every one of us. But the funny thing? We never talked about money management as a family. Sure, my parents and siblings hired financial planners, accountants, and etc. But being the last child in the family, and by a considerable amount of years, plus, I moved far away from my family after college - both to South Korea, then to Memphis, then to the Bay - that I had to go through my own leaps and hurdles to learn what good financial management meant and how to do it.
I made many mistakes at first. But I was also sick for a few years, which definitely doesn't help to be financially healthy. But I tried my best? I didn't know what I didn't know. But thanks to IG, I can follow people who talk about financial management. People who, for free, give tips and enjoy a life of healthy financial, well, health.
What I've learned?
-Always start with a budget and learn how to stick with it
-Make enough money that is comfortable to the lifestyle you want
-Start an IRA
-Always opt into your company's 401k
-Sticking to a budget meant for me to intentionally spend in a way that still made me happy
-Learning my money-spending habits and coming to terms with them
-Saving enough for an emergency fund
-Being able to still take care of others with the income that you make
-Cutting down on eating out, coffee runs, and other frivolous money spending habits
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