It has been a little bit of time since I've posted here, so today I'm going to give some advice. Most of you know that my hobby is investing and financial matters, and I think that individuals should be very involved in their own futures.
We've heard a lot of talking heads about the economy and personal finances lately. This doesn't really help, it only causes a panic. Unless you are just about to retire, you should be thinking that this time is a great time to be able to invest. Everything you do now will shape your future.
We must cut our personal spending to keep things within our means and normal expenses. Don't be frivolous now! We must personally save more money every month into a savings account for that rainy day. Think of it as a bill that you have to pay yourself every month. It doesn't matter how big or small the amount is, just do it without question. Automatic deposits this way are the best.
Once you do that you must pay down your debt. When the economy is in trouble, you must contract yourself and get rid of things that are extraneous, that includes debt. Start with credit card debt first and then cars and finally the house. Being debt free is a great advantage.
Begin to look at stocks, bonds, and mutual funds like you would if you were investing your own money into buying a company. If you blindly put your future money with someone you don't know without making them accountable, don't expect that money to be there in the future when you want to retire and when you need it.
Why do I spend as much time as I do on knowing the financial world? It's important to know what is going on in the world so that we are better informed to talk with our patients about issues and so we can relate to them when we are recommending treatments. It is also better to take care of yourself. If you are financially secure, then your stress and worry are way less so you can concentrate on your day to day tasks.
Take care and be smart!
Showing posts with label finances. Show all posts
Showing posts with label finances. Show all posts
Monday, October 6, 2008
Monday, August 25, 2008
Doing What is Right
I apologize for being absent from commentary, but been really busy. Today I want to be a bit philosophical so bear with me. I've noticed a lot of things coming up over and over again, not just in dentistry, but in overall life. You see is all on the news about the government issues, politics, war, other countries, oil crisis, personal finance, and everday life.
What I'm talking about is doing the right thing. Now I'm definitely no prince or angel, but I think that it's important to think that we can do better. Think about our lives for a second. We all have strife and we all live in times of trouble and concern. We have worries and needs and wants. But during all of that, can we do what is right.
I've made comments before about keeping it simple. Everything we do should be simple and kept simple. Treating dental disease should be simple. It is really an easy and basic disease to control and treat. If you control the bacteria, you control the disease. If there are no bacteria present, then you will not have periodontal disease or caries. The trick is having others do that on their daily lives.
The financial crisis that we've gotten ourselves into is the same. People got greedy and they wanted more and more. Bankers wanted more things, consumers (us) wanted more things. We overspend on getting the things so we create another problem of credit card debt. It became a complicated mess. Now it's affecting the entire world, because although we live in this country, everything we do matters to the rest of the world.
We've got to get back to basics. We need to take care of our obligations that we've created. We need to fix the problems and not just cover them up with another fancy band-aid. We've got to take care of ourselves first and then take care of those who are less fortunate. The less fortunate list is much bigger than anyone can imagine. We've got to make life simple again.
When I started this dialogue, I wanted to be able to talk about dentistry and life. We need to talk about life and how dentistry can help that life. I'm going to go through tips and observations, but I'm also going to talk about life, because that is the place where everything that we do starts from. Take care!
What I'm talking about is doing the right thing. Now I'm definitely no prince or angel, but I think that it's important to think that we can do better. Think about our lives for a second. We all have strife and we all live in times of trouble and concern. We have worries and needs and wants. But during all of that, can we do what is right.
I've made comments before about keeping it simple. Everything we do should be simple and kept simple. Treating dental disease should be simple. It is really an easy and basic disease to control and treat. If you control the bacteria, you control the disease. If there are no bacteria present, then you will not have periodontal disease or caries. The trick is having others do that on their daily lives.
The financial crisis that we've gotten ourselves into is the same. People got greedy and they wanted more and more. Bankers wanted more things, consumers (us) wanted more things. We overspend on getting the things so we create another problem of credit card debt. It became a complicated mess. Now it's affecting the entire world, because although we live in this country, everything we do matters to the rest of the world.
We've got to get back to basics. We need to take care of our obligations that we've created. We need to fix the problems and not just cover them up with another fancy band-aid. We've got to take care of ourselves first and then take care of those who are less fortunate. The less fortunate list is much bigger than anyone can imagine. We've got to make life simple again.
When I started this dialogue, I wanted to be able to talk about dentistry and life. We need to talk about life and how dentistry can help that life. I'm going to go through tips and observations, but I'm also going to talk about life, because that is the place where everything that we do starts from. Take care!
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