Are you writing your own script?

You may not realise it, but you are a script writer.

Every day, you are writing the script of your life. And just like in the movies, what you write into the script today will influence the eventual outcome of the story.

As Susan David writes in ‘Emotional Agility’, ‘We may not drive convertibles past palm trees or take meetings with movie stars, but each of us, in our own way, is a Hollywood screenwriter. That’s because, every minute of every day, we’re writing the scripts that get screened at the cinema inside our heads.’

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Are you (financially) typical?

Even before we started our serious efforts towards financial independence, I nonetheless read everything I came across relating to money. Your typical best-sellers, and some more obscure books and blogs.

Sometimes, those sources held seemingly contradictory advice. One, for example, recommended taking out the shortest home loan possible. Another recommended taking out the longest loan term possible.

Which one is right? Why would two published books – both well-written, popular finance books published in the same country in a similar time frame – give such seemingly conflicting advice?

It turns out to be a case of different horses for different courses, and learning which course is right for you is crucial.

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What’s the difference between gearing and cash flow?

In the last post, we looked at the buzzword ‘negative gearing‘ (where the interest you are paying on the loan is more than the income), and why positive gearing (where your income is more than the interest) can be more attractive. But for anyone looking to retire early, or have the financial freedom to quit their job, pursue creativity, or raise a family, the concept of cash flow is perhaps even more important to know about than gearing. And it’s something we all need to know about – not just investors.

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How much should you spend on an engagement ring?

As Australians vote on marriage equality, and the phrase ‘diamonds are forever’ marks its 60th anniversary, I thought it appropriate  to ask how much you should spend on an engagement ring.

One usual answer is “three months’ salary”. Sometimes you may hear “as much as you can afford”. There are even (extremely depressing) calculators to “help” hopeful fiancés to calculate an appropriate figure.

If you’re a regular reader of this blog, however, you’ll realise “how much should you spend on an engagement ring?” is of course a trick question.

But it is one that is interesting for us all -of any gender, sex, sexual identity, or marital status – to consider.

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