The Ten Commandments Of Personal Finance
The Ten Commandments Of Personal Finance
From The Retirement Manifesto By fritz@theretirementmanifesto.com
Is it possible that there are some basic principles upon which your personal finance journey should be built? It turns out there are. I’ll warn you in advance – you may not like some of them.
Just as THE Ten Commandments guide us away from our personal nature which is sometimes tempted to do things which seem fun at the time, but lead to long term harm, these “Personal Finance Commandments” can guide you away from doing things which will bring harm to your long term financial goals.
In full transparency, I didn’t come up with the original list. That honor goes to this article from MoneyStepper, which I just read tonight. I liked the concept and the guidelines presented so much, I’ve decided to build on the original article with original thoughts of my own, including the “10 Commandments” title.
In my quest to “Help People Achieve A Great Retirement”, I think there’s a lot of room to share some of the best concepts I come across in my heavy reading on personal finance topics. This one’s a good one, and worth my effort to build upon the concept.
Strive to achieve as many of these commandments as you can, and you’ll be well on your way toward financial independence. Break them, and suffer the consequences.
The 10 Commandments Of Personal Finance
I. Keep Your Housing Costs Under 25% of Your Net Income
Personally, I like these “rule of thumb” guidelines to help you decide how much of something you can afford. When you’re shopping with a realtor, or talking to a banker, they often attempt to “stretch” you to a ratio that’s higher than you should really undertake. So, look at your last paycheck.
How much went into your bank account? If you rent, your rent should be less than 25% of your monthly NET pay (after taxes). Ditto on your mortgage payment. If you’re spending more than the 25% “commandment”, consider downsizing, or seek out a job with higher pay.
II. Keep Your Mortgage Under 2.5 Times Your Annual Salary
Interesting that the first two “Commandments” focus on housing costs. Appropriate, given the cost of the roof over your head is the highest expense you’ll incur in your personal finance journey. Manage it carefully, and don’t buy “too much” home. If you’re making $50,000/year, your home should be worth $125k or less.
III. Don’t Buy A New Car Unless You’re A Millionaire
I LOVE this one. Bottom line: buying a new car is stupid (yes, I said Stupid!). It depreciates immediately, and it’s expensive. It’s one of the worst personal finance decisions you can make. Don’t “Buy New”!
After a few months, it’s “just a car”. Within a few years, if you’re like most people, you’re “itching” for another one. AVOID the materialism – focus on the function. My wife and I have bought used cars for years, and paid cash for all but our first one.
To continue reading, please go to the original article here:
http://www.theretirementmanifesto.com/the-ten-commandments-of-personal-finance/
Rob Cunningham: A New Monetary Era is here
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Bruce’s Big Call Dinar Intel Thursday Night 9-3-26
Transcribed By WiserNow Emailed To Recaps (INTEL ONLY)
Welcome everybody to the big call tonight. It is Thursday, September 3rd and you're listening to the big call. Thanks everybody for tuning in. We appreciate you, and we are still reaching over 20 million listeners in 160 or more countries. So that's good news, and so we're getting the. the call out there, and I'm excited about that. I'm excited about where we are, really. Believe it or not, and I'll have some good information to give you guys in my segment.
All right. Let's get into the intel segment and let's see where we are today.
Good Afternoon Dinar Recaps,
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The Crew: Samson, PompeyPeter, Petra, Daytrader, Sunkissed, GIGI and Militia Man
No drama. No intrigue. No songs and dances. Just straight, factual news that I read and interpret to the best of my ability after being an avid Dinar investor and insanely obsessed Dinarian for over 15 years.
Follow MM on X == https://x.com/Slashn
TNT:
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Asiabee offers virtual Mastercard, Platinum and World cards directly linked to the Asiabee wallet, enabling secure local and international payments through a single integrated digital experience.
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Ariel: The Iraq Budget, What to Watch
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September 15: Council of Ministers receives the draft. Watch for the redenomination language. If the 2027 budget includes specific provisions for currency note replacement, denomination restructuring, or central bank account recalibration the mechanism is live. It’s not a rumor. It’s line items in a federal budget.
The budget will sit with the Council of Ministers for approximately one month. Amendments. Approval. Then parliament. That puts the parliamentary vote window in mid-to-late October. If the Clarity Act moves through Congress on a parallel track and September 15 is the convergence signal both could reach final vote within the same October window.
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Good Morning Dinar Recaps,
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KTFA
Thursday Night Video
FRANK26…9-3-26….THE ANSWER
This video is in Frank’s and his team’s opinion only
Frank’s team is Walkingstick, Eddie and Omar in Iraq and guests
Playback Number: 605-313-5163 PIN: 156996#
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Reset Intelligence: Level Playing Field
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By Reset Intelligence | @EXIT_FIAT
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Good Afternoon Dinar Recaps,
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Coffee with MarkZ, joined by Dr. Scott Young. 09/03/2026
Some highlights by PDK-Not verbatim
MarkZ Disclaimer: Please consider everything on this call as my opinion. People who take notes do not catch everything and its best to watch the video so that you get everything in context. Be sure to consult a professional for any financial decisions
MZ: Changes, reform, new systems, and what it all means. Dr. Scott Young joins us today to take questions. Al-Maliki on factions and weapons.
TNT:
Tishwash: With the participation of local and foreign investors, Erbil will host an international economic forum this month.
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KTFA
Friday Night Video
FRANK26….9-4-26…..THEY CALLED
This video is in Frank’s and his team’s opinion only
Frank’s team is Walkingstick, Eddie and Omar in Iraq and guests
Playback Number: 605-313-5163 PIN: 156996#