Why The Secrecy?

"I could end the deficit in five minutes. You just pass a law that says that anytime there is a deficit of more than 3% of GDP all sitting members of congress are ineligible for reelection."

-Warren Buffet

When it comes to personal finances, the government has taken steps to dirty the waters. While we do have access to all the information we need, it's not easily understood nor focused on by the general population. Some areas of concerns are:

• Income tax used to be taken from people's paycheque AFTER the employee had received them. This allowed the person to see first hand how much the government was removing but it created an uproar which is why now income taxes are taken BEFORE the employee receives his paycheque - many don't even notice it.
• Inflation, at 2%/year on average, is a hidden tax on citizens' savings. While it's shared, the impact of it isn't clearly understood.
• While we know our country is in debt how we got there isn't that clear. Repaying the debt doesn't seem to be a priority.
• Currencies not based on the gold standard. What is the currency even based on now if not on something as tangible as the amount of Gold a country as?

While we haven't actually seen a tax raise in years all the above items are negatively impacting our finances in ways that are not easily understood. The information is available but the responsibility of connecting the dots has been given to the citizens knowing full well that most won't bother which allows the government to do as they please.

How many people could retire if half of their paycheque wasn't going to the Government? What's the point of saving money if it looses value every year at a rate of 2%? These are some of the frustrations from learning about these hidden, not so hidden, concepts impacting our finances.

You've Got To Find Ways To Save Money

"You've got to be old with money because to be old without it is just too awful... you can't be old and without it."

-Tennessee Williams

While its been said that if you do something that you love you'll never work a day of your life you can't do what you love if what you love doesn't generate enough money. You either need to find a way to make your passion profitable or find something else to do that will pay your bills. 

There's nothing wrong with doing something that you don't necessarily love, to pay the bills, and then make a side business of your passion until such time it becomes profitable. 

Working without the ability to save part of the income earned means that you're surrendering your life to production. Those that have enough income, and don't save, are not better off than those that can't save.

We also need to keep in mind that life is unpredictable and can get in the way of the best financial plans just as much as the worse ones. There are no full proof plans but you'll always be better off with some savings as money will give you options that you wouldn't otherwise have.

Education Is Your Responsibility

"A person who won't read has no advantage over one who can't read."

-Mark Twain

According to abclifeliteracy.ca, 49% of Canadians adults have literacy skills below Highschool level. Reading is a lost art. We should never underestimate the power of a good book. In the words of Spencer W. Kimball "Man alone, of all creatures of earth, can change his thought pattern and become the architect of his destiny." 

The making of a man isn't determined by the school he attended as much as what he's learning on his own accord. To paraphrase Oliver Demille, from his book "A Thomas Jefferson Education", schools are responsible to train people to do specific/productive tasks in the society they operate in while it's the responsibility of the individual to educate themselves to become thinkers and leaders.

You don't have enough of a lifetime to become as wise as you can be relying solely on your own experience. Reading allows you to acquire part of someone else's life experience. Start reading for 15 min a day and go from there.

Depression - Seek Professional Help

"The mind is its own place, and in itself can make a heaven of hell, a hell of heaven."

-John Milton

Depression is a black hole that sucks the life out of an otherwise healthy individual and his entourage. The sufferer knows that his mind is in darkness but is powerless to change. If left untreated, he may fall into addictions that will provide temporary relief while while also becoming its own problem.

"If you're going through hell, keep going."

-Winston Churchill

If life has become nothing more than a burden, day in and day out, to you then seek professional help. Therapy, medication and lifestyle changes can help heal your mind. While life has its dark moments it's not supposed to be all black all the time. There's sadness but there's also joy and you're meant to feel both not just one.

Fight it, conquer it and inspire others to do the same.

Where do YOU get Your Information From?

My immediate family is unanimously on the same page when it comes to politics and we're always so surprised when we meet someone who isn't. "What sort of information does that person listens to?" we wonder.

A better question would be what sort of information are WE listening to? Since we're all on the same page, I think we can reasonably assume that its because we're all listening to the same information. If we had different information, we would be thinking differently.

The media shapes our thoughts and its important that we tune in to proper sources of information. In the West, truth is under attack which means that it's becoming increasingly difficult to tune in to facts. Some argue that social media can help but it's mostly just noise made by people trying to live off of their content.
The "truth" is that there's no ultimate source of information that we can rely on for news. If we keep in mind that some of these news outlet just copy from each other, and copying a lie doesn't make it true, it is almost impossible to determine facts from fiction.
Looking for information at the source usually helps however the source can also be lying.

Listening to experts, on both sides of an argument, is still the best way to go for information on critical subjects.