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Top 10 Personal Finance Articles of the Month — April 2021
It’s time again for one of my favorite features here on Dyer News: a look at the top 10 personal finance articles of the month. First, we’ll take a look at some investing tips and perspectives. Then, we’ll explore the topic of money failures and how to hopefully avoid them. Finally, we’ll cover the “buy now, pay later” trend, why you shouldn’t let other people spend your money, and more.
As usual, this month’s list includes a couple of Dyer News Top 10 mainstays as well as a few first-timers. Without further ado, below is my list of the top 10 personal finance articles published in April of 2021, along with their title, author, and the site they originally appeared on.
Investing
Investing for Beginners: From Your First $1 to $10k and Beyond — Adam, Minafi
Even as various apps make all kinds of investment options more accessible, it can still be difficult for newbies to know where to start. For example, should new investors begin with taxable accounts or focus strictly on retirement options? In this post, Adam not only dives into those questions and more but also provides handy calculators and other interactive tools for beginning investors to explore.
Why I’m a Dividend Investor — Nicola, The Frugal Cottage
Speaking of beginning investors, most might likely assume that the only way to make money in the market is to buy a stock that will grow tremendously over time. In reality, there may be another significant way of earning a profit as a shareholder: dividends. As Nicola shares, taking a dividend investment strategy can provide a source of passive income among other benefits.
Money Failures (And Avoiding Them)
Are You Prepared for Your Financial Failure? — Accidentally Retired
Let’s face it: no one likes to think about failing. Instead, it’s much easier to fantasize about everything going perfectly and how great that will be. Alas, this isn’t reality. What’s more, as this article from Accidentally Retired notes, visualizing your potential failures can actually be helpful and necessary as it can prepare you for the worst-case scenario.
Don’t Kick Yourself Over Money You “Coulda Had” — Kyle Burbank, Money@30
A recent rise in the price of Dogecoin, other cryptocurrencies, and so-called “memestocks” may have some people feeling like they missed out on easy money. In fact, even for those who have made money from these crazes, it can be easy to assume that greater gains could have been achieved. However, since no one can predict the future and these rewards come with major risk, Kyle reminds us not to beat ourselves up over these perceived missed opportunities.
What Is the Sunk Cost Fallacy: Examples and How to Avoid This Effect — Tom Blake, Money Crashers
There’s a good chance you’ve heard of the sunk cost fallacy before — and an even better chance that you’ve fallen victim to it. All too often, our instincts are to stand by our mistakes in a bid to try to right them rather than to walk away. To illustrate this, Tom looks at a few examples of the sunk cost fallacy in action and why this effect can be a problem.
5 Money Mindsets That Could Hurt Your Retirement — David Ning, MoneyNing
Although many Americans realize how imporant it is to have money saved for retirement, that doesn’t exactly make it easy to do it. Furthermore, some might have assumptions or mindsets about preparing for retirement that may be holding them back. On that note, David highlights some of these mistakes and why they should be avoided.
Personal Finance Tips
If You Need an Installment Plan, You Can’t Afford It. And That’s Okay — Financial Chain Breakers
Over the past few years, a big trend in retail has been “buy now, pay later” options. Through services such as Affirm, Klarna, and others, shoppers can now finance a greater selection of items than ever before. While this may sound great, this post from Financial Chain Breakers explains why consumers should be wary about these options and buying things they can’t actually afford.
Put Up or Shut Up: Don’t Let People Decide What to Do with Your Money — Sherry, Save. Spend. Splurge.
Do you get to spend your own money solely as you see fit? Before you say “yes,” is it possible that others may have had an influence on your purchases —whether through guilt or incessant suggestions? Sherry shares some examples of how this can happen and why you should work to put a stop to it.
What If One Dollar Was Worth One Use? — Alyssa Davies, Mixed Up Money
Contrary to what most people assume, being good with money doesn’t necessarily mean always going for the cheapest options but, instead, involves finding the best value. But how will you know if something is worth it? That’s where Alyssa’s proposed “dollar per use” rule of thumb comes in, potentially making it easier to evaluate your purchases and ensure you’re getting value from them.
The Little Mermaid: From Hoarder to Heroine — Yellow Brick Freedom
Finally, while it’s not too often that we look to animated films for financial inspiration (although Winnie the Pooh is always a rich source of insight), it may be worth considering the protagonist of The Little Mermaid. In the Disney film, Ariel is a collector of thingamabobs but finds herself unsatisfied with them. For more on this minimalist connection, check out this fun but surprisingly poignant post from Yellow Brick Freedom.
Thanks for checking out our top 10 personal finance articles published last month and congratulations to all of the bloggers who made the list. To find more of these great articles on a daily basis, be sure to follow us on Twitter @fioneymoney and of course visit Fioney.com.
