Are
you ignorant? I know I am. Now that may make me sound like someone
you shouldn't be taking advice from, however, let me clarify this.
The definition of ignorance is: 'a state of being uninformed' or
'lacking knowledge.' Now based on that definition, isn't everyone
ignorant about something? I know that I don't know anything about ...
say ... rocket science. Does that make me ignorant on the subject of
how to build a rocket? Of course it does. Everyone is ignorant about
a lot of topics. The important thing to know is what you're
ignorant about. If it's rocket science and you don't plan to be an
astronaut, then you can breath easy knowing that being ignorant about
rockets probably isn't going to impact your life a lot.
On
the other hand, suppose you're ignorant about the speed limits in a
certain town and you're caught speeding. There's a legal
principle called ignorantia
juris non excusat,
simply that means "ignorance of the law is no excuse." It
stands for the proposition that the law applies also to those who are
unaware of it. If you're ignorant about the speeding laws, and you're
caught speeding, then you're still going to get a ticket.
An expensive ticket
at that! So, where am I going with this? Being ignorant in certain
areas of your life can really cost you. Let me give you an example.
Several
years ago my husband and I had just moved to a new town and were
looking to buy a house. We were young, recently married, and knew
absolutely nothing about buying a house. Were we ignorant? Yep. Did
we understand any of the pages and pages of papers we were signing to
get that house? Nope. Did the real estate agent take the time to
explain what was going on? Well, was it really his job to make sure
we understood? Not really. The question is, who needed to know more
about buying that house, us or the real estate agent? Us! It was our
money! If we got a bad loan (like one of those adjustable rate
mortgage you may have heard about), who should we have blamed it on?
US! Because we were ignorant even though we could have learned the
ins and outs of mortgages ahead of time! Fortunately we didn't get a
bad loan (like millions of Americans) and our real estate agent did
explain a lot of stuff to us. However, after leaving that meeting and
getting that mortgage, I knew that I needed to know everything I
could about finances so that I wouldn't ever have to depend on the
knowledge and good intentions of others.
I
feel that knowledge is powerful and that if you're ignorant about
finances, bad financial decisions can be made. Your ignorance makes
you powerless. Those with the knowledge have the power. I've spent
the last ten years learning everything I can about money; from
mortgages, to insurance, to investments, to debt elimination. In all
those years of studying, there's one thing that I find is true over
and over again. IGNORANCE IS EXPENSIVE!
I'm
a pretty passionate person, especially when it comes down to
educating and fortifying my families here at F.I. But here's the
thing. PEOPLE NEED HELP and I want to help them. Too many people are
uneducated (i.e. ignorant) about common, everyday finances! I am
determined to help those who have had their own personal 'ah ha'
moment; the ones who have said enough is enough! If this is you, I
want to encourage you that this is your time and your year.
When
I founded Financial Independence Coaching, I went on a mission to
help people take back control of their financial situation through
education. I wanted to take the excuse off the table that there is no
one out there willing to teach them. But do you know what? I am
proud to say that there are plenty of families who have made the decision
and can finally say “ I am in control of my destiny” What are
you doing to take control of your destiny?
