One snowy Christmas Eve in Texarkana, Neighbor Doug settled into bed in his snazzy Superman Footie PJs (Amazon affiliate link), still buzzing on Joe’s Mom’s eggnog… Today’s special holiday episode recounts a completely original tale of Doug and the money lessons learned when he’s visited by three ghosts—past, present, and future.
Make peace with your past, clean up your past mistakes, and learn from them
Especially when it comes to past credit mistakes, what’s done is done. Whatever method works best for you (debt snowball or debt avalanche), do that one. Come to terms with your bad money habits and realize that you can’t outearn them. It’s on you to fix the bad money habits of your past. Focus on what’s current and fix what needs fixing today.
Live in the present
Don’t get caught in the trap of lamenting your past nor only planning for the future. Our only truly limited resource is time. Balance living for today with planning for the future. Remain in the present – especially when spending time with your loved ones – while keeping a vision in mind for your longer-term future plans. Be intentional about your plans and actions today and timeline what you want to achieve in what time you have remaining.
Plan for the future
Communicate on a regular basis with your “team” (loved ones) about your financial goals, progress, and situation. We recommend scheduling a weekly Family Budget Meeting. Automate as many of your financial decisions as possible today so you never have to think about them again in the future. Commit to paying off that mortgage early, ramp up those retirement savings contributions, stack those Benjamins for your kids’ college savings. Decide where you want to be financially in the future; face reality of where you are currently (we like our sponsor, Monarch Money, to track where you are); and take the necessary step to make that future a near certainty.
Takeaways
Remember that time is the one commodity that’s finite for all of us. Value your time and experiences while staying responsible to your present and future self. Remember and learn from the sins of your past to build on your strengths; focus on living in the present and building your financial foundation; and head into the future with more confidence than Joe’s Mom’s Neighbor Doug during the annual Sun’s Out, Guns Out El Camino Competition at the Sizzler.
Deeper dives with curated links, topics, and discussions are in our newsletter, The 201, available at https://www.stackingbenjamins.com/201
Enjoy!
FULL SHOW NOTES: https://stackingbenjamins.com/doug-and-the-three-ghosts-2025-holiday-special-1778
Deeper dives with curated links, topics, and discussions are in our newsletter, The 201, available at https://www.stackingbenjamins.com/201
Enjoy!
Thanks to Neighbor Doug for lending his dulcet tones to our Holiday Story Special
Sit down by a roaring fire with your favorite beverage while ‘Ol Neighbor Doug sooths your holiday anxiety away with his reading of a completely original tale just in time for the holidays.
Have a question for the show?
Want more than just the show notes? How about our newsletter with STACKS of related, deeper links?
- Check out The 201, our email that comes with every Monday and Wednesday episode, PLUS a list of more than 19 of the top money lessons Joe’s learned over his own life about money. From credit to cash reserves, and insurance to investing, we’ll tackle all of these. Head to StackingBenjamins.com/the201 to sign up (it’s free and we will never give away your email to others).
Join Us Friday!
Tune in on Friday as we recover from all of Mom’s nog by kicking off our year-end Greatest Hits Week extravaganza!
Written by: Kevin Bailey
Miss our last show? Listen here: The Holiday Kickoff Special: 2025 Lessons, Risky Bets, and an Alaska Surprise (SB1777)
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