5 Things That Surprised Me About Side Income

Top 5 Money Mistakes Millennials Are Making and How to Avoid Them

It is no doubt that millennials are the most informed generation. The internet provides them with information they need on just about anything including on personal finance and how to create wealth. However, besides being a wealth of information, the internet can also be quite confusing and conflicting. The information available on the web comes from different people with differing opinions.

It holds true therefore that besides having so much information, there are still many millennials out there that are making money mistakes and digging themselves into holes that will take years to get out of.

Here are 5 of the most common money mistakes millennials are making and how to avoid them.

Student Loans

Education is important in life and many millennials want to pursue expensive degree courses or attend prestigious universities. But, what many are not considering is whether the course they are pursuing will bring in enough income to justify the expense.

Before you take a student loan, you need to have the following in mind:

• How much are you expected to make monthly?

• How much will you have to pay monthly?

• How long will it take you to clear the debt?

Luxurious lifestyle

We are living in the social media age where people show off their "luxurious" lifestyles on Instagram and other social channels. Many millennials feel the pressure to show off on social media and therefore end up spending money they don't have to impress people they don't know and people that don't care.

Do you really need a $2,000 smartphone, an expensive wedding, a lavish lifestyle, to spend $$$ on drinks with friends just to take pictures and show off on social media? Use social media sparingly to socialize with friends and family and more for business and your life will never be the same again.

Waiting for too long to start saving

There are some millennials that start saving early but there are also those ones that wait too long to do so. If you are waiting to become "stable" to start saving money, then you will realize when it is too late that you should have started early. If you work more than one job or you get money unexpectedly from other sources, increase your savings or invest the extra income in long term investment options.

Too Many Credit Cards

People are wired for instant gratification and especially the millennials. You want what you want and you want it now. This has led to many millennials applying for too many credit cards. This leads to perpetual debt that you never seem to get out of.Try using cash as much as possible and avoid getting more than one or two good credit cards to build your credit score. Also, avoid always having your credit card with you as this will lead to impulse purchases.

Buying luxurious rides

A car is not an investment. It is a depreciating asset.Only buy a car that you need and you can afford. It is actually recommended that you buy a car you can afford to pay cash for or most of the money upfront. Do not test drive the luxurious models as this will tempt you to get a loan so you can "treat" yourself.

Also, as you invest money, also remember to save for retirement and consider having an emergency fund.

Mathenge Kabui Is an expert author on matters to do with personal development and retirement planning. You can contact him to give you quality content for your website by following the link below: https://www.kenyawriters.com/customorders/

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The Rich Look like Beggars, and the Beggars Look like Kings

By: Jon Morrow
If you saw my father on a normal day, you'd feel sorry for him. His clothes are worn and coated with a mosaic of dirt, paint, and other unidentifiables. His boots are solid blocks of mud. His head is covered with a worn-out baseball cap, usually soaked in sweat.

You'd think he was a beggar. But he's not. He's one of the wealthiest and fastest growing landowners in northern Mississippi.

Movies and television have created a stereotype of the millionaire, and like most stereotypes, it's completely false. Rich people don't drive fancy cars, live in mansions, or cart around entourages of sexy playthings.

They know better. As one of my most successful mentors told me, "Getting rich is not about how much money spend, but about how much money you keep."

To illustrate, here are some comments from my investors:

A car payment? Why, I can't remember the last time I made one.

About a year ago, my father invited all of our investors to a private conference in his home near Memphis, TN. You've never seen so many rich people. If you tallied up the net worth of everyone in the room, I'm sure you'd go well over $100 million.

When I drove up to the house though, all I could do was laugh. Looking at all of the cars in the driveway, you'd think you were at a retirement home. The newest car in the driveway was from 1998. The majority of them were models from the 80s... and older. None of them were freshly detailed or flashy. You would have never guessed that all of them were owned by millionaires.

Talking to the investors about them was also interesting. I didn't ask everyone about their car, but the few I talked with told me they'd paid for the car in full a long time ago. They were also focused on regularly maintaining the car. Performance was just as important as price.

Buy a mansion? God no. Who needs all that space?

Knowing how to leverage their money and tax benefits, you'd think millionaire real estate investors would live in huge houses. But you'd be fooled, once again. Most of the millionaires I know live in modest houses in good neighborhoods. The average value is probably around $300,000.

They also own the houses debt free. Usually, they bought their house years ago for a steal in a good area, and then they lived there while it appreciated. To properly leverage their equity, they keep credit lines open, so they can take advantage of short-term opportunities.

Wear a suit? No, I prefer to work in my underwear

Through a series of coincidences over the years, I've learned that nearly all of my investors work in their underwear or pajamas. When they're forced to leave the house, they usually wear sweats or khakis. During the past five years, I've never seen one of them wearing a suit.

They have three reasons:
Cost. Dry cleaning is expensive. You save money by dressing down.
Practicality. Investors deal with a wide range of less fortunate people that distrust people in suits.
Comfort. Suits are uncomfortable, so unless you have to impress your banker, stay comfortable.
The Moral of the Story: Live like a Millionaire and You'll Become One

Not surprisingly, the most successful real estate investors I know are the most frugal people I know. I'm not talking about being miserly either. They live exceptionally well, but they do it with less money and more attention to practicality than pizzazz. If you want to get rich, act like them. Start living below your means and you'll see your wealth grow much faster.

Also, I've learned to be suspicious of people driving fancy cars and living in huge houses. While some are genuinely wealthy, most are in debt up to their eyeballs. They're usually insecure people, trying desperately to convince everyone they're rich. To use a metaphor:

You can judge a book by it's cover, but remember, the classics are rarely new and shiny. Their faded covers are evidence of their survival and their tattered pages were created by the hands of countless loving fans.
Author Bio
Jon Morrow is the owner of Real Estate... Answered, a web site that answers dozens of questions about real estate investment for free. He also manages over $20 million of real estate investments in three states, focusing on luxury homes and multimillion dollar transactions.

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