Proper Margin
I was recently asked by a cousin during a New Year’s Day lunch conversation, “If you had to name the one key to starting a good financial plan at my age, what would it be?” My reply came without hesitation – “Margin.”
To provide context as to how the question arose, he and his wife are in their late 20’s. They married fairly young, have already survived some incredibly difficult life events together, purchased their first home, adopted two dogs, and are now expecting their first child. He understands the value of a dollar, the meaning of hard work, and is, quite frankly, one of the most principled men I know. So, what he was really asking was simply this: If we are looking to REALLY start getting our act together financially, and begin to put ourselves on a path to build wealth, where should we start? By the look on his face, my cousin was expecting something quite different in response, but quickly caught on to what I meant as we continued to chat.
