Wealth consists not in having great possessions but in having few wants.
— Esther de Waal

I hear this all the time:  “But it [smart personal finance] is so hard.”  Well, it’s easier than you think, and it’s certainly easier than becoming a financial statistic.  Being a financial failure is what’s really hard.
— Tod Barnhart, The Five Rituals of Wealth

I can’t claim that giving is a prerequisite to amassing a pile of money, because there are so many obviously greedy people getting rich.  However, I would never consider these people wealthy, and I’ve seen a lot of them fall hard in the last few years.  As I’ve said before, wealth goes beyond money.  It […]

When advised to budget, most people respond: “But I just don’t have enough money.”  In fact, most of these individuals have a lot more money than they think; they just lack control of it.  Making more money is not the answer.  The sad truth is that if you’re out of control, no matter how much […]

It’s better to have a permanent income than to be fascinating.
— Oscar Wilde

Some people never realize that they can redirect their present incomes and become wealthy.  They buy into the popular culture and ignore the wisdom of the ages.  You are responsible for your choices.  Recast your habits and you will change your life permanently.  You may change temporarily by sheer force of will, but it will […]