Comments on: 15 Excuses That Are Wrecking Your Finances

By: Meaghan

Meaghan — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 01:44:29 +0000

nice post! I know I have thought some of these a time or two! I’m sure this will help many readers. Thanks for taking the power out of the excuses!

By: Financial Samurai

Financial Samurai — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 01:45:24 +0000

Gail – I say congrats to your brother! If he retires with nothing, let it be. He had a great vacation is doing what he wants. He knows what he’s getting himself into.

By: Gail

Gail — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:49:09 +0000

I could have cried the other day talking to my brother (a very hard worker) who at almost the age of 50 has finally been able to save a bit of money and what does he want to do with it? He wants to take a vacation in a couple of years. Of course a vacation is a nice idea, but this guy has NO retirement savings, no emergency fund, no nothing, no savings except this $2000 he has earmarked for a vacation! The sad thing is, he will probably have to dig into that bit of savings for something else long before he can take his vacation.

By: mel

mel — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 14:59:51 +0000

The start later one is usually a big one, along with the simple lack of long-term thinking. This is why meeting with a financial advisor or even knowledgeable friend to show them the benefit of starting early can help.

By: Free Your Mind

Free Your Mind — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 02:44:18 +0000

“Excuses are a way to avoid taking responsibility for your finances.”

Exactly! And the same people who make those excuses will be the same ones who see people who are successful and say, “Wow… you are lucky!”

Rule #1. Take responsibility for your own life.

By: Matt

Matt — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 12:56:02 +0000

yes! i agree! failures is what make successful people once they learn and overcome them.

By: FinanciallySmart

FinanciallySmart — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 15:53:51 +0000

Excuses that need to stop before it even finished form. These excuses keep us from achieving and we should avoid them. Thank you for a wonderful article.

By: Financial Samurai

Financial Samurai — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 01:52:08 +0000

I hear about complaining and blaming others for their misfortunes all the time. Folks gotta quite whining and start striving!

If you messed up during HS or college, go to grad school and give yourself another chance.

Are you only working 40 hours a week? Work 80 to get ahead!

Never stop striving if you want financial independence.

By: EricJ

EricJ — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 18:57:56 +0000

Those are all excuses that I hae heard before. Thanks for posting them. However, one of the biggest REASONS why people’s finances are ruined is because this country has become too dependent upon their credit cards. If people only spent the cash they had in stores instead of using the cards, the economy would tumble. Yet another reason why politicians are not doing much to help in this area.

By: ceejay74

ceejay74 — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 17:36:31 +0000

This is a good list. I think there are some cases where it really wasn’t someone’s fault they got into a situation (e.g., some health crises), but for the most part, looking for someone else to blame, even if it’s legitimate, only slows down the journey toward freedom.

I’ve used most of these excuses in the past, but I’ve worked through all of them and realized how they were holding me back. The only ones I’m in any danger of slipping into are the “I’ll never get ahead/I’m too old to make up for lost progress” ones. So it’s important to remind myself that any progress I make now is going to make my future that much less difficult.