So DH and I have been a bit overwhelmed lately with the idea of "investing". We both have this urge to get into the investing game an buy a couple stocks. We were getting all itchy about this up until Thanksgiving weekend, at which point I realized that we were both being a bit silly. This is not the time in our lives to be investing. We are still very, very busy saving for a our many short term goals (house, car, kids, student loans), and we really shouldn't be thinking about investing. Now by investing, I don't mean retirement. That I see as another savings goal. We need to save $5000 a year to fill up one of the Roth's. Investing is setting money aside to generate supplemental income while we are still working.
So we had to lower our goals. My uncle wrote a book a couple years ago and he talked about how we need to avoid being overwhelmed or underwhelmed. We need to be whelmed just right for optimal motivation. This might involve increasing our productivity, but just as often this involves lowering our expectations to something more reasonable.
So here we go. We are going to try to lower our expectations and focus on our savings goals. We will try to be whelmed just right.
Whelmed Just Right
December 1st, 2010 at 06:54 pm
December 3rd, 2010 at 07:07 pm 1291403221
December 3rd, 2010 at 07:35 pm 1291404907
I already have more than enough knowledge about risk, expense ratios, stocks vs bonds, Target Funds, asset allocation, etc to run our retirement accounts. I really, really don't need to be reading more about it.
In education, we argue for Just in Time learning. Basically, information is the most powerful when you learn them just as you need them (not before or after). I'm about 5 years away from serious investing knowledge doing me any good.