One of my favorite financial blogs is The Simple Dollar. Its founder and contributing writer is Trent Hamm who just wrote an extended, terrific post he titles, Ten Steps To Turn Financial Disaster Into Financial Independence. I encourage you to check it out.
People Do Live on the Financial Edge
Introducing his post, Trent points out some of the facts about financial life in America today. The statistics are not encouraging:
- 76% of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck.
- 50% of Americans have less than three months of living expenses in total savings.
- 26% of Americans have no savings at all.
Looking at these facts he comments, “Most Americans are walking a dangerous tightrope. A single injury, a single job loss, a single unexpected child, a single automobile accident could very easily unravel their life, causing them to lose their homes, their automobiles, and leave them unable to even get the simplest of loans.”
Living on the Edge Kills Peace of Mind
Only those who are oblivious to the realities of our economic conditions today, or have let feelings of being unable to change things anyway, refuse to face the implications of these facts. But it is not necessary to let our fears prevent us from finding a better course for our future. There are steps we can take to make financial success possible.