Are Your Finances a Mess?

1. If you lost your job tomorrow, how long could you maintain the same standard of living without borrowing money?

• A couple of years, but I’d have to liquidate investments.
• Six months if I’m careful.
• I’d be in trouble from day one.

2. Do you know how much money is in your bank account?

• Yes, to the dime.
• Not exactly, but I always check my balance before paying bills or withdrawing.
• All I know is it isn’t enough.

3. If you want to take a vacation this year, what will you do?

• I’ll figure out how much I want to spend, then decide what I can afford.
• I’ll go someplace I know I can afford so I don’t have to worry about money once I get there.
• I’ll put it on my credit card, enjoy the holiday, and worry about it later.

4. When it comes to the holidays or birthdays, how much do you spend on gifts?

• I have a set limit in mind for each person, and I stay on budget.
• I try not to go crazy. Mostly I shop in stores I can afford.
• I don’t set a limit I want to find gifts people love.

5. If you lost your current home and everything in it, what would you have left?

• Insurance money to replace most of what I had.
• Insurance money to keep me off the streets and some savings. It’d be hard, but I’d survive.
• A big pile of ashes, I guess.

6. How does the thought of investing your money make you feel?

• Excited—I check my investments daily.
• Nervous—it seems so risky. But I know it’s the right thing to do.
• Paralyzed—I have no idea what I’m doing.

7. If you wanted to start saving more money, what would you do?

• Look at my bills and eliminate the luxuries that mean the least to me.
• Borrow money to pay off my credit card bills once and
• Hawk my grandmother’s engagement ring or something similar.

8. What is most important to you?

• Feeling safe and secure.
• Leading a happy life from now on.
• Driving an expensive car and wearing the latest fashions.

9. If you got a raise tomorrow, you would:

• Invest it.
• Pay off my credit card bills and contribute the maximum to my 401(k).
• Splurge!

10. When you die, what will you leave your spouse, children, or heirs?

• A carefully planned estate.
• An insurance policy and some savings, if all goes well.
• Er, that’s not my problem.