Each of us are in different situations, ideally after Labour Day you have various savings and investments. There are plenty of self help books out in the marketplace and all of them have similar suggestions – rule your money or your Money will rule you. Each of us is similar but different, however Gail Vaz-Oxlade in Money Rules, Collins, 2012 offers 261 Rules to ensure you rule your money. It is interesting, each year the quality of the people graduating gets higher, but similar mistakes are made. There are very compelling reasons why, each year the consumer industry gets better and it exists to please us. Agencies or institutions which many people thought would help them turn out to make more money selling their products then not having access, with the banks the prime example. Generations ago, the infrastructure of the bank made it hard to access your money which meant you did not. Now as long as you can make regular payments, the banks have a vested interested to give you want you want and more. However no one wishes to go back to the early years.

Gail’s rules include to stay out of debt, paying yourself first and living a lifestyle which you can afford. If you can do that simple but complex thing, you will rule your money. If you can not, the interest will rule you and at some point has to be paid, for it all likelihood the world would not end tomorrow. If the world is not going to end tomorrow, then calculating your true interest cost before you sign is important. Often times waiting for 6 months or a year, is worth it because then you know you can and will pay off the outstanding balances. There are many companies waiting for you to miss a payment to hike interest rates and then you will have paid double or more for what you bought.

Linking to dividend paying stocks, one of great things about dividend paying stocks is a stream of income, if the company is profitable and has increased its dividends over the years. The money can then be used to buy more stock or something or just give you options to consider. When you have options you rule your money, when the money goes before or just after you receive it, then you have less options to spend your money. Just remember the best and most exciting show is nature and people watching its free outside your windows.

There are more questions than answers, till the next time – to raising questions