The Power of Saving $1

The most impactful variable in your financial plan…

As we head into the holiday season, and let’s face it, the shopping season, it is useful to keep in mind that the biggest determinant of financial success is your level of spending relative to your income and/or assets.

The reason is that you need about $20 saved in an investment portfolio for every $1 you’re going to spend once you stop working and your earned income stops. So if you cut your spending by $1, you’ve actually just lowered your required savings by $20.

For example, if you can reduce your annual spending from $36,000 to $34,800 or by $1,200 ($100 per month), you’ve decreased your required savings by $24,000.  Instead of needing a nest egg of $720,000 (twenty times $36,000), you only need $696,000 (twenty times $34,800).
How do you save $100 per month?

Swap your clothes with friends instead of buying clothes, skip the pricey lattes, give gifts of time this holiday season, use the lending library, and you’ve just made $24,000!  Frugality is starting to look exciting, isn’t it?