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Continuing on our journey through relationships and finance, we come to discussing spending habits and the willingness to cut back on unnecessary items. This can be one of the trickier subjects to discuss because you both work hard for your money, and you both deserve to treat yourselves.

I seemed to have checked out of life lately. I can drag myself to my computer, but then I just sit and look at the screen. Between estate attorneys and cattle, the only productive thing I’ve been able to accomplish in my office lately is changing my desktop background. So, what happened to me? I became complacent.

I defined my services, developed a stunning website (plus one), delved into the social networking scene, nabbed some fantastic clients, and then got a nail in my tire.

My mom really enjoys the televisions show "Leverage." Hedge fund managers on the other hand tend to enjoy the financial type of leverage. You've probably heard of terms like "Leveraged Buyouts" on TV, but most of us haven't really though about what leverage means in that context. So, when talking about finance, what is leverage and is it good?

Leveraging Things

Financial planning, as you all know quite well, is a life-long process.  From the minute we decide to buy that very first pack of gum or save the money to go towards something bigger and shinier down the road, we embark on the financial planning journey.  Even if we don’t write down an official plan, we’re making choices that will influence our financial future.

Recently, I shared my 401(k) investment knowledge journey, pointing out my mistakes and regrets in not asking for clarification. Talking to a financial advisor about my 401(k) choices could have put me on track to understanding investments much sooner, but a feeling that I should have known kept me from seeking help. My stock journey was somewhat similar, yet different. My story may help you in your own journey to stock ownership, so let’s take a look at my life in the market.

Fear of the Market

I am exceedingly glad parenting does not require a degree in spaceship engineering, especially when it comes to kids and finances.  With support from your spouse, extended family and good friends as well as the vastness that it is the world wide web, teaching kids about money and savings takes little more than the two C's: common sense and consistency. 

Earlier in our Relationships and Finance series, we touched on “How to Help Your Spouse See You as a Financial Equal.” In the post, we discussed education, discussion, timely communication and planning as ways to open your financial plan to a joint venture. We laid out the basics and promised to come back to each idea more in depth, and today, we are going to take a look at education as a means to developing a better financial relationship with your spouse.

You are never done learning.  That is one of the most important things to know about investing. But the idea of perpetual learning can be intimidating, so sometimes it's a good idea to have some support. In a recent article we brought up the idea of joining an investment club. It’s a great way to build your confidence and gain some great new friends in the process. 

We’ll look at starting your own investment club later.  For now, let’s talk a little about the considerations of joining an existing club:

Stop for a minute and think about a typical day in the life of you.  What happens during the course of your day?  Who do you come into contact with?  Do you interact with anyone?  What kind of experiences do you have through your day?  Life, it seems, is made up of many an ordinary, normal day filled with, well, everyday stuff. So how are we supposed to use that as inspiration for saving the world?

Teaching your children to invest is a very noble goal, and it can be as hard and serious or as fun and easy as you want to make it. Financial planning is a life-long process, and the sooner they get a grip on it, the better. So, what can you do to help prepare you children to invest properly? I suggest doing a little gardening project at home.