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You’ve probably spent time thinking about how you might improve your health, career, finances, family, spirituality, or another essential element of your life. During this contemplation, you may inevitably conclude that a change is required. Many readers of our blog and books share a common problem: they acknowledge a change is necessary (either for themselves or their client), but they also instinctively know that making the needed change will be tough. Why? First, Let’s …
The psychology of wealth accumulation is one of our key research areas here at DataPoints. Our research efforts began with a deep analysis of the findings from The Millionaire Next Door. This book demonstrated the habits and lifestyle of those who accumulate wealth on their own, and the key behaviors that allow individuals to transform income into wealth were confirmed in The Next Millionaire Next Door. This body of research, as well as research from other …
Imagine this: it’s the day after Halloween, and you are about to enter your local big-box store retailer. EVERYTHING about the store flashes “SALE!” Who or what is in control of your actions in this situation? Let’s consider two different mindsets and possible outcomes related to how we might approach our shopping trip in this scenario: Mindset 1: I can positively affect the wealth my household accumulates. Potential Outcome: I will shop and spend …
In pop psychology and social media, there seems to be more interest in pop personality than in financial behaviors when it comes to talking about the things that will have the greatest impact on how successful we are at accumulating wealth. Who doesn’t love a one-question quiz that asks you about your favorite color and then gives you a report telling you you’re a terrible investor because you like magenta? Tests like the Myers-Briggs …
Control. Control. You must learn control. – Yoda, Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back Approximately 57% of Americans are financially literate, typically measured by answering simple financial literacy questions correctly. The work of Anna Maria Lusardi and her colleagues have demonstrated the woeful state of the world related to financial knowledge and education in the United States and around the world. Often, this group of researchers measures financial literacy with a few …