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Kooky weirdos with bad advice; Low self-eteem and debt; Money, sex and focus; 25 ways to give; Auckland top of the pops

Posted in Personal Finance September 14, 2012 - 10:37am, Amanda Morrall

By Amanda Morrall

1) Take it from me - not

Oh Ramit. Does your ego know no bounds? Still, I can't help but admire your cheek and sarcasm. It appeals to my dry sense of humour. Plus you have a point in your latest blog about the need to be cautious about taking bad advice from well-meaning individuals who think they can help you.

2) Low self-esteem

A good proportion of consumerism is fuelled by low-esteem. Why? Because buying stuff has the temporary effect of making you feel good. Admittedly, well considered purchases for which one has sweated and saved for can have a lingering feel good effect.  The following article from financialsamuria.com explores why some people, even those you might envy and whom appear to have it all, consistently spend more than they earn and the easy access to credit that enables them to stay in debt. Psychology is huge part of personal finance. Find your bliss and your personal finance strengths will follow.

3) Change your life

So you want to make some major changes in your life but you find yourself spinning your wheels. There are a multitude of factors that could be holding you back, fear being one of the biggest I expect. Or could it be that you are working at cross purposes in terms of your goals and the methods used to achieve them: In this guest post published on seanogle.com, Craig Anthony of Money, Sex, and Focus discusses traditional versus non traditional wealth creation methodologies.

4) 25 ways to give

Time and money are two of the most obvious ways to give but within those broad camps there are an infinite number of ways to do it. Forbes Money came up with 25 ways to give without breaking the bank. I challenge you to put at at least one into practice over the weekend.

5) Auckland lucky No.7

I was tempted to do a bit a gloating in the office this morning after reading that Calgary (my home town) ranked the fifth best place to live in the world. Auckland however wasn't far behind at number 10. My colleague shivered just thinking at the prospect of living in a snowy enclave. I had two words for him: central heating.

I'm both proud and lucky to call both home. And some slick marketing person deserves a pat on the back for that current television commercial making Auckland look like the coolest place to live in the world. Sorry I couldn't find it on you-tube. Enjoy a little Offspring in its place.

Low Self-esteem.


 

To read other Take Fives by Amanda Morrall click here. You can also follow Amanda on Twitter @amandamorrall

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5 Comments

by Troy | 14 Sep 12, 11:09am

Not just central heating and

Not just central heating and air but Cat 6 cable...and screens on the windows. Why do Kiwi's build houses and yet let nature back in? Why not just live in tents?

by Amanda Morrall | 14 Sep 12, 11:19am

LOL! Yes, screens. I'd

LOL! Yes, screens. I'd forgotten. No need to purchase napalm to keep the flies away!

by neili | 14 Sep 12, 2:20pm

Very informative artical by

Very informative artical by Terry Baucher on 'The Block'. Thank you Amanda if that was your doing.

by Amanda Morrall | 14 Sep 12, 3:30pm

No worries. Terry is a valued

No worries. Terry is a valued contributor. I"m glad you enjoy his pieces. Cheers

by StanGoodvibes | 17 Sep 12, 2:23pm

#5 One has to look at the

#5 One has to look at the criteria used to make these lists. Melbourne for example beats Sydney because it has better schooling and infrastructure. I don't have kids and I live in the CBD and walk to work and can get to the beach without needing a car, so those two criteria are worthless to me. On that scale Sydney beats Melbourne any day - laneway cafe's or sitting by the ocean in the sun - no contest!

And London, #55? Come on. As a single resonably affluent person London for me would be #2 or #3 - it has art, culture, music, clubbing, dining, pubs, and history - i.e. everything that Auckland lacks, and it's put you a stones throw from Europe and the rest of the world, whereas Auckland loses points for being so far away from everything.

And of course as a beach and sun worshipper, anywhere that needs central heating is waaay down the list (London loses a point or two for it's weather, but that is compensated for by all the things listed above). So Canada doesn't even get ON the list, sorry.

Oh, and lastly, Sydney and London beat everywhere else in terms of well-paying professional employment (with the kicker being winning on the exchange rate against NZ) 
 
:-)