Investing

Photo by MayoFi on Unsplash

Do you invest money in the stock market? Until recently, I did not.

Let me give you some background on my financial literacy.

My mother was terrible with money. Which was both good and bad for me; when I was young, we struggled a bit, but it was also a good example of how NOT to be with money.

I taught myself how to balance a checkbook as soon as I opened my own checking account when I was 16. I still, to this very day, balance my accounts every month when I get the statements. Admittedly, it’s a control thing. I feel more comfortable knowing exactly what’s coming in and going out. But it’s more than that too. It keeps me in check with spending.

I’ll confess here that I did, for a very brief time in my early 20’s, follow in my mother’s footsteps. I got into debt because hey, you mean I can have a little plastic card, present it to a store, and get things without paying for them?

I’M SO IN.

Then the bills started coming in. Fortunately, I immediately realized the pattern, and as quickly as I could, I got back on track. Now I don’t carry any debt. I even paid off my student loans.

Now, unless there is an unforseen emergency, I have a strict policy about not buying anything on credit unless I have the money in the bank to pay for it. It’s way too easy to fall back down that…