Americas Financial (Behavior) Problem

The land of the free and the home of the brave, we are the United States of America; a country with a debt of 14. 8 trillion dollars.

The estimated population of the United States is 311, 462, 027.

So, this totals each citizen's share of this debt at $47, 685. 85. The National Debt has continued to increase an average of $3. 97 billion per day since September 28, 2007

Is this what freedom is supposed to feel like, 14. 8 trillion dollars owed to others?

According to God's word, the rich rules over the poor and the borrower is slave to the lender (Proverbs 22:7). I know some would say, "we don't need that God stuff, " "that it's all outdated, " but everything looked a lot more free when we were following what He said!

There is something about the word slave and its counterpart freedom that do not go together. Is this what our founding fathers had in mind?

I'm not even sure we have 15 trillion dollars wrapped around our own minds.

To help, here is a little example of what 14 trillion dollars would look like; One dollar weighs about 1 gram. 14 trillion grams weigh 15, 432, 354 tons, which is the same displacement of 154 aircraft carriers.

Well how did we get here?

As a country and individually we got where we are financially one decision at a time. Putting it this way hurts a lot less, and besides we would decide that's crazy to spend 14 trillion all at once. When times are good and the money is flowing we spend and it does not bother us at all. Again, we do this as a a country and individually.

We have the mindset that "It's just money, I can always make more", or the government will say, "Its just their money, we can always tax more".

I have noticed its always easier to spend other peoples money, because you have done nothing to get it and therefore it has no value to you. You give me 20k to go buy you a car I will have you one in a day. If I take my money and buy a car, it takes me a few weeks to find what I want.

Our government does the same thing with our money by bailing everyone out of their mess. It's alright to help someone but do not enable them to do dumb things.

Government is not God. We should not worship it like it is God.

To put it simply, this country has affluenza (affluenza, n. a painful, contagious, socially transmitted condition of overload, debt, anxiety and waste resulting from the dogged pursuit of more. [ 1] Wikipedia)

I have had this virus, as well as anyone else who is human and has had money. If someone is making five thousand dollars a month, they usually spend that amount, if they don't have a plan, or a budget written on paper.

Most of us want to save, but we have created a debt that tells our money where it needs to go before it's even earned.

Lets suppose you are making 5k a month and all of the sudden the economy starts booming and you start making 7k a month. All of the sudden you get exited about what you may be able to do with the extra money. "I will be able to do the things I always wanted to do, go to the places I always wanted to go and buy the things that I always wanted to buy. "

I'll admit, it's a good feeling when you have extra money and the excitement wells up inside of you about the possibilities of your future. We always want that feeling and after we have had it, lost it, and, as is the case now, searched for waysto have it again, we will be happy. That's why when you buy something, like a new car, it's fun and exciting, but after six payments, that feeling is gone and you are looking somewhere else to get that feeling again. Meanwhile, you are still paying the car payments for the next 42 months.

Money and materials were never meant to bring you happiness, they are fun, but they do not hold within them happiness.

OK, you are making more money, you have the cool car you wanted, the boat, and hey, why not a pool? You work hard. The kids want one and you can afford the payments. Oh, and I forgot, you want to include a few extra trips to the beach during the summer. (Yes, I have had the same problem as the rest of America; trying to buy happiness).

Now lets make up something like, oh, the house market collapses.

Well, if that happened I would not be too bad off. I don't sell houses so this should not affect my income.

OK, I see where you are going. Let's say a recession hits and all of a sudden your business slows down. Its payday and you glance at your check you see that you started making 5k again instead of the 7k you had become accustomed to. "Don't panic!, " you say. "I will work a little extra and make it back up. Every thing will be OK next month. "

When this happens our money changes, but our behavior doesn't and we are still in search of the fun we were having two-thousand dollars ago. Lets face it, life happens and negative trends in our economy have always and will always happen.

Dave Ramsey says children do what feels good, adults devise a plan and follow it. So, let's devise a plan to get out of our mess and not to get back in it.

We have briefly described how we got in this situation, so let's look at how we get out. (I am so glad you are asking these questions)

We first have to realize that just because we are Americans, we are not entitled to everything we want. I have to discipline myself. Everything I want will not be good for me. Although I think it might, God always knows better.

You must have a plan (budget) that will get you to your goals. If you want some money for an emergency, you should put that in your budget, so you will have it when the need arises. If you would like some money for retirement or want to send your kids to college, start saving now. If you say, "I will save when I have the money, " you will always find a payment or something "fun" to do with the extra cash. What do you think sounds more fun, being 70 years old wondering how you will pay monthly bills, or being 70 and knowing that you have the ability to cover basic needs without worry?

There is not a right or wrong answer, just a better choice or a better behavior. We need to look at what is more important and where we want to go with our finances, instead of wondering where everything thing went and what went wrong. There will always be recessions and downturns in our economy, so lets plan for them before we get there and they will not be such a worry when we are going through them.

I always ask my clients this, when I am coaching them, "Do you remember what you bought that left you with all this credit card debt?" The answer is always NO, so it must have not been as much fun as they pictured. I don't remember the debt I bought with my credit card either.

You may be thinking that, oh you are one of those people who don't want anyone to have fun. I bet you want us to take a vacation by camping in our backyard. Not true, I would love for you to be able to go on great vacations and have nice stuff, but without payments and without it creating so much stress.

With this lifestyle, you will kill yourself with a job you hate in order to take vacation two, good weeks a year. So America, let's enjoy our life with what counts, our family and friends, not payments and stress to maintain the American dream. Don't trade all of your time and talent, health and joy for a monthly payment and material pleasures that get old and tear up. Do you think you will be on your death bed and say, "I wish I could go buy a jet ski at that introductory rate the bank is offering. Its such a good deal.?"

We have a behavior problem. After all, if our financial problem was a math problem we would never go into debt in the first place!

Create a plan and enjoy what you have. Two thirds of the world would love to have our economy right now the way it is, recession and all. If we change our behavior we will elect people who know how to act with our tax dollars.