Spring and Passover are the time of year when we can ask what our financial future will look like and what kind of free people we choose to be. Around the holiday, we can clarify with ourselves whether our financial conduct is optimal, and if it is not, whether our uninformed conduct is itself a form of slavery. We can choose what kind of financial slavery we want to liberate from our lives and what we wish for ourselves for the coming spring and summer in a financial context. We can plan our future and sleep soundly knowing that financially, the next day is well planned and there is even money reserved for the unexpected.
Previous generations lived on what there was, and it was clear to each and every one of them how to manage their finances. Saving for future generations was an accepted way of life and there was financial clarity even in times when resources were scarce.
In recent years, excess consumerism has become unrestrained, and defines, among other things, personal status. The clear formulas disappeared and the unequivocal and obvious financial lines were erased. Financial and technological changes have become frequent and rapid, supply is endless and global, and a product or service can be purchased easily online. With a few clicks, anyone from a child to an adult can order cheap products that arrive within days from China straight to the customer’s home.
Technological development helps us make quick decisions, purchase with increasing ease, and our personal data is collected by commercial entities who learn our shopping habits and lifestyle. This makes marketing to us online more accurate and motivates us to make more purchases with increasing frequency, while the consumer is usually unaware of the extent to which they are psychologically captive to the online marketing games. While an online shopping experience is great, how many products did we need, how much did we enjoy them, and how much did we just purchase?
How do you stop the race of life on the way to more and more shopping?
Taking responsibility and learning to properly manage financially.
We all have a natural desire to succeed in the battle for financial survival and a reasonable person wants to know that he is properly conducting himself, that he receives all his rights, invests in insurance optimally, has pension contributions set aside for him legally, and more. The information needed to make the best decisions, on all issues related to family finance, is available online. However, sometimes the overwhelming amount of information online makes it difficult for users to understand what information is reliable and which recommendations to follow.
It is clear that if each family takes the time to learn how to manage their finances and invests in understanding the key principles of family finance, they will help themselves reach a better financial future. When there is a knowledge base, consulting a professional can be done with clear questions and the answers received will be clear.
A good place to start is to set personal and family priorities. What are the things that are important to us and cannot be given up, what is difficult to give up, what is possible to give up easily. Passover, which has very high expenses, is an excellent time to start setting priorities and reduce expenses accordingly.
