Everyone has their own personality, and the same is true for saving and investing. Some people prefer to spend all of their money, while others prefer to be frugal. And your personality will greatly influence your attitude towards money. So knowing your personality is the first step in shaping your approach to spending, saving, and investing. So let’s find out what kind of financial animal you are.
The Peacock
Do you lavishly spend your money on fine dining, designer clothes, the latest gadgets, and exotic vacation destinations? Your motto is YOLO, which stands for “You Only Live Once!” You believe life is short and saving is unnecessary. You also believe your career at the UN will be secure, with a nice pension at the end.
However, at the end of the month, you are in the red and need your next salary to cover the debt on your credit cards to continue living this lifestyle. You are essentially living paycheck to paycheck.
Money Monkey says: Getting out of such a lifestyle will help you save money in the long run. Start by paying off your credit card debts, particularly those with the highest interest rate.
Also try to raise money by selling items you no longer need and begin focusing on cutting down spending. If that is too difficult, try to set up a standing order to automatically send an amount of money you would not miss to La Mutuelle every month.
The Panda
Are you the happy-go-lucky type? You believe you don’t need to bother with budgeting or managing your finances as long as you do not have any debt. You stay in the black each month and can cover all your expenses. On the other hand, you do not have an emergency fund saved up.
Money Monkey says: Figure out your monthly expenses and try to start building up an emergency fund to cover at least 6 months of your living expenses. Try to set up a standing order to automatically send money to La Mutuelle every month.
The Squirrel
Winter is coming and you are always prepared! You’ve been prudently saving for years and keep a portion of your emergency fund in the bank that pays low or even no interest. You have no appetite for risk and like it safe and secure.
Money Monkey says : With cash, you are losing purchasing power due to inflation. Investing in stocks or real estate is one of the ways to beat inflation. Keep your emergency fund in La Mutuelle instead of the bank as it gives you better interest rates.
Then try to open a brokerage account and start by buying a globally diversified ETF with low fees every month (dollar cost average). In the long run, research shows a globally diversified ETF will outperform inflation.
The Penguin
You are always following your friends and the latest fad when it comes to finances and investments . It could be the newest cryptocurrency or NFTs (Non- Fungible Tokens) or meme stocks. Many of these latest trends carry huge amounts of risk. If you are lucky, you could become rich, as many of these are inflated bubble assets and could burst anytime.
Money Monkey says: Try to own a globally diversified ETF which is as plain as vanilla and that is a good thing. Because, historically, having such a portfolio ensures that your wealth does not deteriorate over time.
The Cow
Got milk? You have a barn full of “hay” (money) to survive any form of emergency. You also have money-generating assets that you can “milk” from. However, you must still rely on the farmer, a.k.a. your boss, to ensure that you are fed.
Money Monkey says : Try to focus on optimizing your existing expenses and increasing the size of your portfolio. Set up standing orders to automatically send money to your brokerage account immediately after pay day. Then buy your selected globally diversified ETF.
The Tiger
You have a high-yield savings account where you keep an emergency fund (e.g. La Mutuelle). You also have a portfolio of globally diversified ETFs and bonds. And you buy more ETFs every month without fail, right after pay day. You’re well on your way to financial independence.
Money Monkey says: You are indeed well on your way to financial independence! Try to focus on increasing your salary while reducing your expenses. Continue fine tuning your system and make your whole process as efficient as possible (e.g. automate using standing orders). Keep reading up about finances and make yourself knowledgeable.
Final Thoughts
Now that you have an idea of your financial animal personality, take the time now to address the financial challenges one step at a time. Remember to remove any friction that stands in your way and drain your time and energy. So we can accomplish more with less effort and less stress.
Once you start your journey, improvements to your financial situation can be seen as a positive feedback loop where the end result reinforces the initial act. This could eventually change your behaviour and help drive you to achieve your own financial and personal goals.
So, what kind of animal fits your profile? Leave a comment in the section below and don’t forget to subscribe!
