Monday, November 5, 2012

Do We Really Need an Entire Awareness Month?

As you may already know - especially if you've dropped in here in the past week or so - November is Canadian Financial Literacy Awareness Month. A chance for all of us Personal Finance type people to spread our vast knowledge about money to the masses gathered around their computer screens, or tablets, or whatever other device. But do we really need an entire month dedicated to enlightening each other about Financial Literacy? In my humble opinion - Hell Yes!! In fact, I don't think a month is long enough. We need Financial Literacy Awareness Year - every year - for as long as we live our adult lives!
                    
As I sit here writing this today - it is my birthday. Not just any birthday. One of those birthdays that ends in a 'O'! One of those birthdays which makes you sit down, or lay down in my case last night, and reflect on your life so far, the mistakes you've made, the successes you've had and where you think things are heading from this point forward. In my time of reflection I realized that many of the things I thought of in those areas in some way or another revolved around money. Maybe it was my lack of financial literacy when I thought about some failures and mistakes I had made. Maybe it was the extra money I came into when I thought about the progression of my career and where things are heading in that area of my life. Whichever reflection came to mind - there was a monetary aspect to almost each and every one. Even thinking about my kids had me reflecting on wishing I could have taken them more places but being unable to afford that luxury.
That is why it is so important to spend your entire adult life being Financially Literate. Staying connected to your money is something I've been talking about here for awhile. Learning how to handle your money - where to invest it - the best ways to save it - the tools you can use to get the most out of the money you have - these are all things we need to stay aware of all the time. There are thousands of websites all dedicated to personal finance. Some good, some not so good, and some great. Take this opportunity to find a few that speak to you and connect with what you are dealing with right now in regards to money. The Wisebread website listed in my favourites is a great place to start. They rank hundreds of PF websites and put them into categories so you can find one that has the information you need. Use that as a starting point for your own financial literacy.
A month is not enough - make this Financial Literacy Awareness Life! Cheers!

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