I remember sitting at my parent’s store playing with my Mongoose bike when an old man with a simple brief case would come by. My mom would hand the guy a check, and he gave her a receipt. Off he went. Then a month later, he’d come back. Samething. A mysterious blue book passed back and forth. When I turned about 10 or so, I realized my mom was putting money away in my passbook savings account…my first! With a real “book” with each deposit neatly printed. That was the start. A fascination with saving.
In the early 90′s I got my first ATM card and a checkings account! What a thrill. Instead of having to go and see a teller, I can now use a cool machine to get money anywhere I wanted. Fees were not that common, if I recall. And if they were around, it was a fifty cent fee. I think I even wrote myself a one million dollar check…it’s stored away some place. Maybe one day I can cash it! Then in the mid 90′s, I got my first credit card, $500 credit limit, secured. I was absolutely thrilled! Funny now that I think about it.
18 years later, I’m thinking about car loans, mortgages, 401Ks, roth IRAs, stocks, high yield interest accounts, dividends, recyling, freebies, and…retirement!
I hope my blog is able to help people avoid some of the mistakes I’ve made and learn a bit. I hope I can learn too by thinking about my finances a little more and hearing from folks that take the time to read. I consider myself very fortunate to be able to worry about how much to save rather than whether I can save. Enjoy.