A smart couple with a healthy financial relationship is always talking about money and how they're handling it. If there's a medical emergency or a job loss, talk about it. If there's a windfall, talk about it. Your financial situation is a constantly changing thing.

Michelle Singletary

Categorized in : Jobs Couple Smart

If we aren't careful, our children will come down with 'affluenza,' a disease that causes them to confuse wants and needs. We need to teach our children what my grandmother taught me: Think twice about spending money you don't have on things you don't need to impress people you don't like anyway.

Michelle Singletary

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Money may not be able to buy you love, but conflicts about it can certainly bankrupt your relationship.

Michelle Singletary

conflict able may

You made a decision given your life circumstances and you have to be ok with that. Regrets that can't be change is just torturing yourself.

Michelle Singletary

regret decision made

There's nothing wrong with having a 9-to-5 job, but figure out a way to have another stream of income.

Michelle Singletary

income jobs way

I use a "Debt Dash" approach to paying off debt. I recommend people focus on paying off the debt with the lowest balance first. So if the primary has less debt you would focus on that.

Michelle Singletary

balance focus people

My first piece of career advice is find your gifting. Find the thing that you are skilled at and figure out if you can make a living doing it.

Michelle Singletary

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You are rich if you have enough to meet your most basic needs. You are rich if you have access to clean water, food, shelter, love, a roof over your head.You have to count your blessings to see that you are richer than you think.

Michelle Singletary

roof-over-your-head blessing thinking

You shouldn't invest the money if you are looking to use it within five years. Too much risk.

Michelle Singletary

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Priorities lead to prosperity.

Michelle Singletary

prosperity priorities

The number of those 19 to 25 with private insurance increased from 51 to 55.8 percent, and the percentage of uninsured fell from 33.9 percent in 2010 to 28.8 percent during the first half of 2011.

Michelle Singletary

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I'm keenly aware of how important it is to set a good example. You may not think that your kids are paying attention to you, especially with something like money, but they probably are.

Michelle Singletary

important kids thinking

Money may not buy love, but fighting about it will bankrupt your relationship.

Michelle Singletary

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I understand and respect people who say they want to boycott the Trump brand. I also respect your right to buy his products. But what you miss is that no one in public office, Hilary or Trump should use that platform to profit themselves. In Trump's case there are serious concerns about the conflict of interest in his brand and business ownership. Do we really want a president who had products he can push while working for the American people?

Michelle Singletary

office missing people

We have to protect ourselves by doing our own homework.

Michelle Singletary

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I usually find that my gut doesn't steer me wrong when it comes to my money!

Michelle Singletary

steers guts

Having a separate fund for the things in life that happen, helps keep the emergency fund in tact in case you lose your job or income.

Michelle Singletary

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I've decided to keep working until my last kid is thu college.

Michelle Singletary

lasts college kids

I'm not a fan of debt consolidation. In my experience, many people "clear" credit cards and other debt to get the one payment and never change what they need to change to prevent getting into debt again.

Michelle Singletary

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No matter who is in the White House, I just keep doing what my grandmother taught me. Hate debt. Save. The best any of us can do really.

Michelle Singletary

grandmother hate house

It's why this election was HORRIBLE. It was either Hilary is the devil and Trump a saint. Or Trump the devil and Hilary a saint. Can't we all have a decent, civil conversation without throwing "shade?"

Michelle Singletary

election devil saint