Friday Links

From the Web

How to Negotiate Like an Indian: How to Get an $8000 Salary Raise – Ramit is one of my favorite personal finance writers on the net. He epitomizes my belief of focusing on big wins, where you can take actions in precise areas of your life to have a huge impact. A couple hours carefully invested in the right area (such as salary negotiation) can make up for thousands of smaller wins.

From the Archives

Financial Freedom – One of my life goals is to earn/save enough money that I don’t need to work for money. Does that mean I don’t want to work? Of course not. I just want to decouple the money I need to live from the meaning I draw from my work. Material success can enable the pursuit of higher values.

Reader Question: What are Your Biggest Financial Concerns/Obstacles?

I have a special announcement coming out Tuesday related to finances/entrepreneurship/money. If you only check out the blog infrequently, I definitely suggest dropping by that day because the announcement will be time sensitive.

Before that, I’m curious to know what the readers here think about their personal finance situation? What do you feel are the biggest challenges you face with your financial success?

1. Saving more money.
2. Figuring out where to put the money once you’ve saved it. (Especially in economic times where many otherwise intelligent people are recommending cash-in-a-pillowcase as an investment strategy)
3. Earning more money. (either through part-time entrepreneurship or getting more from your job)
4. Avoiding student loans/debt.
5. Automating your finances so you don’t need to worry about them.
6. Entering (or re-entering) the job market, worrying about finding a position.

Please write your thoughts in the comments. I often only tackle monetary issues at an indirect angle (productivity, goal-setting, entrepreneurship) but I believe the important point is to be in control of your financial life so your energies can be devoted onto the things you care about.