Stop Reading Financial Porn

Forget the lists, drop your guilt, and live your actual life.

Every now and then (more often than I would like to admit) I get sucked down a rabbit hole of financial regret, should-ing all over myself and feeling like a complete failure.

Article after article, parading success stories of people who made more money at a younger age while working fewer hours than me.

And that’s just perusing the standard money news.

God forbid you get on a FIRE forum, where it seems like everyone has retired by 30 with $5 million in the bank, living the sweet life in Southern California’s beautiful San Fernando Valley.

The worst offenders are the articles putting a schedule on your finances. You can find them everywhere, because they’re an easy listicle to write. ‘

• How Much Money You Should Save (According to Your Age)
• Here’s How Much Money You Should Have Saved by Every Age
• How Much Money Should You Have Saved (by Age)

And I get it. These articles are supposed to give you a goal to shoot for. And hey, goals are good…when they’re your own. But making a goal merely because someone says you “should” just leads to disaster.

All too often, the only thing accomplished by these “should” articles is they shove your face in the pile of dog shit that is your own financial situation, making you tuck your tail between your legs and run away.

No lesson is learned, other than you suck at money.

Rather than the performing the emotional self-flagellation of looking at the mistakes of your past (I know, so much easier said than done), let’s start reading (and for you authors out there, WRITING) about how to get where we want to be given our age rather than in spite of our age.

Rant done.

Parsons out.

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This article is for informational purposes only, it should not be considered Financial or Legal Advice. Not all information will be accurate. Consult a financial professional before making any major financial decisions.