Educate Yourself! {Day 5 of 21 Days of Hope + Help for Your Money}

This is Day 5 of 21 Days of Hope + Help for Your Money, a series providing you encouragement and tips to start the year off on a note of hope. Catch up on previous posts here. For future posts, come back daily or subscribe to have them emailed directly to you.

“If you think education is expensive, try ignorance.” — Andy McIntyre

Remember all those personal finance classes you took in high school? No? Me neither. Most of us didn’t receive any formal education about managing money growing up. And our parents didn’t either, so even though Mom and Dad did the best they could, what was modeled for us may or may not have been healthy.

As a result, most of us wing it when it comes to money, or we’re influenced by our friends’ choices (who are also winging it most likely). When you don’t know what you don’t know, you can make choices that are harmful to your finances. And sometimes you’re not aware of the implications right away.

The good news is that information is so readily available; you just have to seek it out. On Day 4, we talked about the need for a source of motivation. Well, you also need a source of information. Whatever you are working towards, educating yourself is necessary to help you get there.

Don’t let your ignorance lead to costly mistakes.

Action Step

Find a Source of Information

Seek out a way to educate yourself about managing your money. Try reading one of these personal finance books, taking a class, listening to educational podcasts, or regularly reading a blog (like this one!).