Here are some of what I believe to be our best personal financial decisions made so far.
The Number One Best Personal and Financial Decision I Have Ever Made
I married a wonderful man and we have stayed married. I do things every day to try to ensure that we stay happily married and so does my husband.
Best Education Decision
I majored in university in a discipline that would get me a well-paid career even though it wasn’t the subject I was “passionately” interested in. I studied hard enough to earn and maintain a scholarship and worked hard enough to be a desirable candidate for interviews.
Best Investing Decision
We started contributing to our RRSPs as soon as we graduated and started working. (There were no TFSAs then.)
Best Car Ownership Decision
I didn’t buy a Corolla until I had graduated and worked for 4 years and had saved enough to buy it with cash. (My husband had to buy a Tercel to drive to the rural facilities he worked at as soon as he graduated.) Aside from that one first car loan, neither of us has ever paid for a loan or a lease for a car.
Best Borrowing Decision
We have never had a loan for any other reason. Yes, that means we have never carried a balance on a credit card or had a line of credit. We did have a mortgage.
Best Home Ownership Decisions
- We didn’t buy a home until we were in our thirties.
- We did not buy a unit in a high-rise condominium.
- We bought a home we could maintain and afford on one salary.
- We paid for 40% of the cost of our home with cash.
- We have always saved the entire cost of renovations, including the contingency cost, before starting any work.
Best Budgetting Decision
We always budgeted as if one or even both of us could get laid-off at any time. Given our industry, it was, and is, not an unrealistic scenario. We’ve always kept a large amount in accessible savings; the inevitable over-save has ended up in RRSPs, TFSAs and other investments.
Conclusion
I’m sure that there were other choices that we made that have helped us get to the comfortable place we’ve now reached.
We have also had a lot of luck and many blessings along the way. We give steadily and regularly because we know that anyone can need help at any time. No one is immune to suffering.
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What are some of the best personal financial decisions you have made?