Interview with Stuart of the Your Money 2 Keep Blog

This is the 19th in a series of interviews HelpYourMoney.com is doing of other personal finance bloggers.

An Interview with Stuart of the Your Money 2 Keep Blog:

1. First, can you please introduce yourself and tell us why your started your personal finance blog?

From the time I was 17 I became interested in money and business. Since then I began three different businesses (a MLM; a national hobby magazine; and, a sun-dried tomato business) each of them cost me a lot of money with little or no return - mainly losses. I couldn’t understand why I wasn’t being too successful and decided to go to University and study a degree in Accounting and Marketing which I completed 3 years later.

In one of my early subjects, I learnt a tool called the BreakEven Analysis which, had I known it earlier, would have saved me and my wife from losing more than $40K in our magazine business. I got pretty annoyed that simple stuff like this was hard to find and so I began my blog aimed at providing financial answers for everyday people.

2. Do you feel you are on the right track to reaching your financial goals and what are they?

My financial goals are a little different to most. I actually believe in people more than I do in the dollar and so my aims are not to accumulate as much as I can but are measured by how much I can give away. Don’t get me wrong. I still live comfortably and have a nice house which will be paid off within the next decade and are actively seeking financial investments, however, none of this “floats my boat.”

3. Do you work in the financial industry?

I work as a Business Manager in a private college looking after the financials and anything not related to teaching. This includes assets, investment instruments, borrowings, banking, taxation, wages and superannuation etc.

4. If you had to recommend just one financial related book, what would it be?

This may sound a little trite but the best financial book I’ve ever read would be “The Richest Man in Babylon” by George S. Clason. If more people had read this and put the principles into practice debt levels in our nations wouldn’t be as high and people would be much better financially.

5. If you had to recommend just one financial related magazine, what would it be?

I’m Australian so I’m not sure whether many of your readers would have heard of his one but it’s called “My Business”. It’s more to do with business than trading and investments etc but I like the way the look at different businesses and the models they use.

6. If you had to recommend just one or two financial related websites (besides your own and that is not a blog), what would it be?

N/A. I haven’t actually found any that I couldn’t live without. I enjoy reading blogs that inspire me…

7. What is one of the WORST financial related decisions you ever made?

Starting our hobby magazine with understanding enough about business. While it was a huge loss and a big waste of time, the lessons I learnt from it were worth every cent.

8. What is one of the BEST financial related decisions you ever made?

Building our house 6 months prior to a property boom. It cost us A$150K and 3 years later is now worth A$450K+

9. Do You Trade Individual Stocks and If so recommend your favorite 3 to 5 picks?

No. But if I did trade them I would recommend buying anything that’s undervalued! (Hot tip!!! - lol)

10. If you could give our readers just one financial related tip, what would it be?

Build equity. Whether it be property or shares or another financial instrument, gear yourself into the market and pay it off as quick as you can. Debt is a fantastic instrument when used well and I would suggest that Equity has replaced Cash as King.

11. Is there anything else you would like to share with our readers? Please Tell us here:

[Other than come to my blog and tell others about it - lol] Take risks and learn from your mistakes. If you give up because of your mistakes then you have paid the ultimate price for that error. Learn, try. Learn, try. Learn, try. And you will be successful.

>> Visit Stuart’s Your Money 2 Keep Blog.