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Top 10 most despised jobs; The road to becoming a self taught finance expert; Extreme personal finance; Sticking to a plan through a funk; Kid cost inflation

Personal Finance
Top 10 most despised jobs; The road to becoming a self taught finance expert; Extreme personal finance; Sticking to a plan through a funk; Kid cost inflation
Extreme personal finance

1) Most loathed jobs

In a previous column, I linked to a  Christian Science Monitor story on the top 10 happiest jobs.
For the sake of balance, here's the 10 top most hated jobs as posted on CNBC. IT management jobs figure prominently, as do sales and marketing positions. Remuneration isn't the primary cause of discontent rather the lack of reward for a job well done (I'm guessing gratitude here, days off, or other perks) and also limited career opportunities.

2) Self taught expert

I'm all for paying professionals for services that you can't do yourself; plumbing and tooth extractions come to mind. When it comes to financial matters, experts also have a role to play however there are a number of jobs that can be self-managed if you do your homework, put in the time and ask around. Admittedly, DIY types can do a lot more financial harm than good so it pays to know one's limits. Also, the time expended on taking care of business yourself may not be worth the hassle and grief, if it's time you could have spent earning money.

Here's a primer from Investopedia.com on what it takes it become a self-taught finance expert.

3) Extreme personal finance

Challenges of the extreme are everywhere these days so why not personal finance? An ambitious Canadian couple decided to push the outer limits of deleveraging, by trying to pay off a CDN$220,000 mortgage in three-years. They went to extreme measures to do it, with the one of them more than doubling their work-week hour in order to set aside 80% of savings for several years.

Burning the candle at both ends may not be worth the cost it extracts on one's health, sanity or marriage, however it was important enough for this couple to do it and they came out victorious. Read more about their extreme personal finance venture here on moneyville.ca.

4) Never give up

Along those lines, here's a moral booster from monevator.com about how to push through a financial funk when you hit the half-way mark and feel like giving it all up.

I hit this wall several times myself over the course of my 30-day challenge to give up drinking coffee. I am happy to report I was victorious in this battle against the bean. On the draggiest of days, and in the face of great and daily temptation, what got me through wasn't the $4 savings so much as my singled-minded determination to exert will over desire. Good luck to our managing editor who embarks on his own caffeine-free journey to hell over the next 30 days.

5) Kid inflation

Children and pets are bad news for your budget, there's no denying. Fortunately, they are enriching in other ways.

Those looking to start a family would do well to be as prepared as possible, not just emotionally but financially as well.  According to a study out of the U.S., the cost of raising a child from birth to age 18 has increased 40% over the last 10 years.

Not including tertiary education, the offspring is estimated to cost the average two-parented family US$226,920. I'd be interested to see the stats for New Zealand, so if anyone has them, please send them my way. amanda.morrall@interest.co.nz

 

 

 

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8 Comments

So we had better be careful what we say for a few days, you might be a bit Grumpy eh Bernard?

If memory serves correctly aren't you a 4-5 cups per day man? Boy that is going to be one hell of a head ache over the next week! Maybe you the rest of the crew should shout you a holiday to Great Barrier Island so you can't take it out of them, or us:)

Or maybe Gummy could put him up for a few days in the RP.

Congratulations on having the fortitude to see it through Amanda, has Bernard stumped up the $20?

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Thanks Scarfie.:) Might get Bernard to drip feed his debt with lattes.

 

 

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Haha good.

Maybe you could use it for a counter wager, what odds is he offering? 

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Not so fast , guys .... check out this slide show

 www.cnbc.com/id/44524476

....... they got Amanda in at # 7 ..... sorry hon ....

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Regarding five, I would suggest that parents focussed on doing a good job would not really care about the cost. Since when the hell did having children become a liability? I think we are about to find out the opposite as the baby boomers retire.

I took the view that I didn't want my children's upbringing being carried out by someone else, and worked out a way to make it happen. Perhaps if more parents took that view instead of playing the stupid property investment game then it would help mitigate housing bubbles.

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Interesting thought but I doubt it. Kiwi addiction to property is worst than caffeine.

Apparently all sorts of extremists when it comes to budgetting:

100 best blogs for extreme budgeting

Love the cheapsake blog but I'll be damned if I start cutting my own hair. Having long hair is a definite savings.

 

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Gee I have no problem with the clippers once and a while, surely you coud also? Nah I will give you that one, a woman has to have her hair done. Long hair is very good:)

Have PM'd you re the hell haircut.

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CNBC : 10 Most Hated Jobs , link ..

 www.cnbc.com/id/44038159/10_Most_Hated_Jobs

..... now , what number have they placed being a journalist at Fairfax Newpapers ?

[ .. oops , I saw 2 or 3 jobs that fitted Amir's role ! .. see Bernard for a chat and a Tim-Tam ]

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