Why I Save and Why You Should Too - Even if you aren't saving for anything.

I was asked recently why I bothered to save and invest and why it was so important to me.

Some people are saving for a specific one-off expenses like a wedding or new car. Others are saving for ongoing expenses like school fees or university funds. Others are focussing on retirement or on buying a plush pad somewhere hot and exotic.

The reasons why people save are as diverse as a bag of pick 'n' mix. Reasons depend on priorities and life stage, amongst other things

My reasons are somewhat less obvious but I will try to explain them as best I can.

If the goal can't be changed, change the focus.

A few days ago, some friends invited me on a day trip to a huge lake in the Peak District.

My pals, rather strangely, enjoy activities like jogging and going to the gym. I've never understood it myself, but each to their own. I like to think my body is finely honed for short bursts of intensive activity but the truth is my pals are just fitter than me.

When I am asked the question, 'Shall we go for a walk?', I usually reply 'Why?' followed quickly by a politish, "No thanks."

I do not enjoy 'walking for pleasure'. Lots of people do it, I know, but it's not my thing. I don't mind walking when there is a purpose like a carboot sale or a treasure hunt or scrambling over rocks to find rockpools. But I can think of more enjoyable ways to raise my heartbeat than 'going for a walk'.

When I was invited, the plan, on arrival at the beauty spot, was:

7th Day Growing Pain - Prove I'm wrong. (Funds and Bundlers)

I invest monthly via a very large UK discount broker. I invest in a variety of unit trust and OEIC funds.

Some of the funds I invest in are specialist and some are not. The money goes out of our bank accounts on the 7th of every month and the new units appear in my account between one and four days later.

There is something I think I have noticed and it has been a source of bemusement for a while.

I'm looking to be proved WRONG on this because I sincerely hope I am.

The Perfect Way to Queue Jump?

I like observing human behaviour. Occasionally, I will do little experiments just to test a prediction or see what happens.

These little experiments are in no way scientific because they are done 'on the hop' and not under laboratory conditions.

In this post, I would like to share an observation from this morning.

Come and Ride the Bubblecoaster: Riders at the Back Will Get Wettest! (Part 1 of 2)

Stories of investment 'booms and busts' abound. Sometimes they're called 'bubbles' and the word 'bust' is changed to 'burst' because......... that's what bubbles do. I use the words 'bust' and 'burst' interchangably. 

The word 'mania' can used instead of 'bubble'. They mean the same thing: the price of an asset (or asset class) gathers such upward momentum that people trade the asset for increasingly ridiculous prices relative to the how the asset was previously valued. The price is chased upwards until it reaches a peak and then plunges like a lead balloon.

At the peak of big bubbles, although humans are unaware, spacecraft are rumoured to have been spotted in the sky as alien news reporters are dispatched from outerspace to report on the bizarre behaviour of those involved in the bubble. ;-)

In part one, I would like to take a closer look at the common features of bubbles and, in part 2, I will see how human behaviour contributes, and is affected, by them.

Sometimes It's Hard to Stand By Your Plan: Why I Choose to Live in a Smaller Home Than I Can Afford.

We own our small home. During winter, it's warm and cosy but come summer, its seems stuffy and cramped.

For the moment, we choose to stay put although we could afford a significantly bigger and better place.

Are we making the right decision? You decide.

If Money Grew on Trees.......

we'd all ensure we got our 5-a-day!

Who Is the Best Person To Look After Your Money? I AM BEST

I like neat little tricks for helping me remember things. So I wanted to come up with something I could use to help me make decisions on my journey to achieving independence from my salary.

I considered the following questions:

• Who has the best understanding of my attitudes, aspirations and situation?
• Who cares most about the state of my finances?
• Who has the most to gain or lose from the state of my finances?
• Who will my finances be working for?

And finally, I considered this:

'Who is the best person to manage my financial affairs?'

My answer:

I AM BEST