This article from the September 2012 issue of Real Simple is a piece about which I have mixed feelings.
On the one hand, there are some anecdotes to which folks may be able to relate and the author raises some important long-term considerations. This is good stuff.
On the other hand, I see an oversimplification of what it means to take charge financially. True, learning about investing and retirement savings are critical, and those things involve money. However, I think that there’s an important middle layer of financial awareness and planning that the author glosses over.
The author talks about bargain-shopping, pinching pennies and hunting down sales. This is pretty day-to-day stuff, and it can be important for living within your means. But then, the focus of the article shifts to long-term planning. Ack! It’s a little like getting into an elevator on the ground floor of a building and finding out that it lets you off in space.
What my financial counseling experience highlights is just how powerful it is to know where you stand financially from month-to-month and year-to-year and to plan accordingly. This is the middle layer of financial awareness that gives you the peace of mind to take those pennies (or dollars) you saved and direct them accordingly. This layer is vitally important and one that needs more press!
So, the jury has reached verdict on the piece: As is often the case with magazine articles, there’s a gap between what the article promises and what it delivers. Read wisely.