If so, please read the following post and seek help for your affliction before it is too late. Financial Inferiority Complex affects millions of Americans, and is spread rapidly by media outlets, car lots, Realtors, and yes, even our government.  If you’ve ever felt compelled to buy a home instead of rent, lease a new car to keep up with your neighbors, or felt a twinge of jealousy because your best friend was approved for a platinum card but your credit card is gold, then this information is for you.

Disclaimer: The information below is for entertainment purposes only and should not be used to treat a real health problem or psychological condition. Duh!

What is Financial Inferiority Complex?

FIC is a range of symptoms involving the central common sense system, traveling from the security gland to the heart. Fortunately, the brain is unaffected as those with FIC are typically not using it. If left untreated FIC can cause serious damage to one’s pride and sense of self-worth. Fortunately, there are a host of home remedies for FIC, which if utilized properly, can head off the need more invasive procedures later in life.

What are the symptoms of Financial Inferiority Complex?

Identifying the symptoms of FIC can be difficult, especially through self examination of one’s own habits. Often the affliction is detected by a friend or loved one honest enough to tell you the truth about your behavior. If you know anyone with the following symptoms, or recognize them in yourself, please read on to determine treatment options.

Symptoms include, but are not limited to:

• Hostility towards “rich” friends and associates
• Insatiable appetite for stuff
• Feelings of shame over debt
• Car fever, especially when accompanied by visits to new car lots
• Feelings of anxiety when credit cards are being swiped

Treatment Options

Financial Inferiority Complex presents in various forms, and the best course of treatment often depends on how long the patient has had symptoms, and the severity of those symptoms. For some, prescribing a budget and icing down their credit cards may be enough. For sicker patients, a complete credit card plasectomy may be required, which involves taking scissors to all credit cards in their wallet. This is a risky procedure as the closing of credit cards after surgery may lead to low FICO scores, or in extreme cases no FICO score at all.

The best way to prevent Financial Inferiority Complex is to subscribe to Frugal Dad. The daily dose of financial common sense helps patients cope with the barrage of temptation that surrounds them. But you should not rely on Frugal Dad alone. It is ultimately up to you to be content with your life and your posessions.  Judge your success not on the accumulation of material things, but on the accumulation of relationships built with loved ones. On the impact you have in other people’s lives. Ultimately, that is the only known vaccine guaranteed to prevent Financial Inferiority Complex.

A few days ago a stranger stopped me outside The Home Depot and asked how old my van was.  Apparently, it reminded him of a work van his father drove. “1990,” I replied. “Wow, 19 years?” he said with a surprised look on his face. “Does it still run good?” I could see him checking out my homemade Rustoleum paint job on the top, and the faded paint on all sides.  I said, “She runs good, minus a few flaws here and there.  I don’t drive it for the sex appeal though; I drive it because the payment is right!”

Now he looked insulted. “Yeah, but everyone has a car payment, man.” We parted ways with him glancing back at my old van with an eye of jealousy, which I found amusing since he was driving a fully loaded, late model Toyota Tundra pickup.  What could he possibly be jealous of?  Maybe the fact that I was paying $500 less per month to get from point A to point B?  I could understand that.

“But Everyone Has A…”

Think about how many times we hear that statement used in the world of personal finance.  Everyone has a credit card.  Everyone has debt.  Everyone has a mortgage.  Everyone has student loans.  And from my personal example, everyone has a car payment.

I used to believe these statements, too, but one day I realized that it was possible to live a frugal lifestyle contrary to these long-held assumptions.  No, everyone does not have a car payment.  Some managed to pay off their car debts and continue driving debt free for many years. Others chose to pay cash for more inexpensive cars rather than borrowing money to finance the operation.

Believe it or not there are some people out there who have paid cash for a house, and almost more shocking these days, graduated college without debt.  It can be done, and it is being done.  The problem is that those whose livelihood depends on your buying into the idea borrowing money is the only way are out to perpetuate the myth.  And in a way, that even extends to the upper-most reaches of government.

Throughout this economic downturn we (consumers) have been reminded at every turn that borrowing is what fuels this economy. It is sad, in a way, but true. We’ve seen what happens in industries like automobiles and houses when people stop borrowing money to buy things, but I can’t help but wonder if this would merely be a short-term pain, assuming we were really in it for the long-term gain.  Unfortunately, I don’t really believe we are.

Soon enough credit will be flowing again, and I guess if that leads to the return of job growth, that’s a good thing.  However, in our own personal economies let’s make a fundamental shift in the way we acquire things.  Let’s get back to basics. If we don’t have the money for something, we save for it. If we must resort to financing, let’s buy cheaper so we can put that debt on shorter terms, and agree to a lower monthly obligation.  Ultimately, we’ll all still be in the market for that new car, or that cruise, but not until we have the cash. After all, everyone has a dream of being financially independent.  At least I do.

Just when I thought I had heard it all, I found out I haven’t.  The other day I heard a radio commercial for a local business that allows you rent custom rims for cars.  Rent rims for cars?  Why in the world would anyone want to rent rims for a car?  Bad enough many of these spinning tire toys cost up to $2,000, but now people are renting them?  Yep, I guess I’ve heard it all.

Photo courtesy of South Beach Cars

Rent To Own

I have never particularly liked the rent-to-own business model, because to me it is like financing a purchase over twelve months and paying significantly more than the item is worth.  Why not just save up the cash for twelve months and buy the thing outright?  Because people suffer from instant gratification disease.  The disease afflicts millions of us and is largely responsible for this economic meltdown.

Nobody wants to build wealth the old-fashion way, they want a get-rich-quick scheme.  Nobody wants to wait to move into that dream house two or three house purchases a way, they want their starter home to have five bedrooms, a pool and a three car garage with a huge wired shop out back.  Nobody wants to wait until they are making $150,000 a year to buy that brand new BMW, so they finance more than they earn in a year in an attempt to show everyone on the road that they are better off than they really are.

Now car enthusiasts can take the same approach by renting financing custom rims and tires, GPS devices and CD players.  What’s next, renting televisions?  Oh, that’s right, you can do that, too.  But when you do agree to one of these rental agreements, no one tells you that in the end you pay much more for the item than straight retail.

For instance, during Super Bowl Sunday madness a local rent-to-own store was offering one of those big, widescreen televisions for only $99 a month (for twelve months).  Problem was, it was an $800 television.  I wasn’t the top math student in school, but to me that sounds like an overpriced deal by about $400.  Still, I wonder how many people stopped to make the annual cost conversion.

The bottom line is this; as a collective consumer society we are going to have to break away from the monthly payment mentality that has had a grip on us since the invention of credit cards and car deals.  It is no longer sufficient to say, “I can afford the payment.” No, the larger question is, can you afford the car?  And if they answer is no, then you need to keep saving or look for something cheaper.  The same goes for rims, televisions, computers, and anything else than can be financed.  Which in today’s world, includes just about everything.

When you read the title to this article, you probably thought, “Well, it’s about time!” For the first 260 posts here at Frugal Dad I’ve avoided mention of the world’s most ostentatious brand–the Rolex.  And while I will poke a little fun at the Swiss masterpiece, this post is really more about the value of time (pun intended).  Both the Rolex and Timex brand of watches are essentially nothing more than a time-keeping accessory.  The two models shown below (the one on the right is my personal Timex) will set you back $27,300 and $29.99, respectively.

Rolex ($27,300), Timex ($29.99)
Photo by Frugal Dad

“I Have Finally Arrived”

The idea for this post was sparked by two events, one very recent, and one from a long time ago.  Last week I received an insert with our Sunday paper for a jewelry store.  The cover of their advertisement featured the $27,300 Rolex watch, and the amount was just staggering to me. It reminded me of a time a few years ago when we still had expanded cable television. I was watching some silly show about housewives in Orange County.  One of them was having a 40th birthday celebration on a private yacht.  Her husband gave her a $40,000 Rolex as her birthday present, and she turns to the camera and says, “I’m forty years old, and I have finally arrived!“  How sad.  Here was a successful businesswoman, mother of two kids, and someone blessed with more money and resources than most will see in a lifetime, but she had not “arrived” until receiving a Rolex watch.

How Valuable is Your Time?

I suppose there isn’t anything stopping me from buying the Rolex on the cover of that ad.  Well, assuming a bank would loan me $27,300!  But let’s assume for a minute that I did in fact have that much money sitting around, money that I had earned from working a full time job.  How many hours would I have to work to pay for something like that? Well, let’s assume I earn $15 an hour.  Without considering taxes, I would have to work 1,820 hours to buy that watch.  That is nearly a year of full-time work! Of course, most people even in the market for something that expensive make much more per hour, so let’s more than triple that hourly wage just for sake of argument.  At $50 per hour I would have to work 546 hours, or roughly 68 eight-hour days.  Assuming a five-day workweek, that represents about 13 weeks of work.  Again, this does not account for taxes, so you would have to actually earn much more, or work much longer, to accumulate this sum of money after taxes.

Is It Really Worth It?

Of course you expect me to say no, but let’s look objectively at the benefits of owning such an exquisite piece of jewelry:

• People will think you could afford it, and therefore assume you are rich.
• You are virtually guaranteed to be on time to dinner dates, when you are not working, of course.
• You may be the only one in your family with an insurance policy on something you wear.
• After annual round trips to Switzerland for calibration and servicing you will be the proud owner of one of the most well-traveled watches of all time.

Still not much there worth forking over $27,300 for, is there? I think I’ll hold onto my Timex, and save the remaining $27,270.01 for my kids’ college funds, my own retirement fund, and to build an emergency fund.  Even if I had an extra $27k I could think of a hundred charities I would rather support, or dozens of strangers I could help, rather than spending that kind of money on a watch.

Disclaimer:  I am not suggesting there is anything wrong with having nice things.  However, there are some things that just seem a little too nice, and are often purchased only for status or show.  For those things, I think there are more worthy uses of our exchange of time and resources, but ultimately it is a personal decision.

Here lately I’ve been in a reflective mood. Not sure why.  Maybe it’s because another school year is rolling around and my kids are growing up too fast.  Maybe it’s because my 31st birthday is right around the corner and I’ll officially be in my “thirties.”  Whatever the reason, I’ve been thinking about the past a lot.  Not necessarily dwelling on it, but thinking about how I got to where I am today.

My very first credit card purchase was a Sony Playstation.  I was a sophomore in college and had just received a brand new, shiny credit card with a whopping $500 credit limit compliments of Discover Card (trading a credit card application for a t-shirt was my first really dumb move).  At the time, Playstations were going for about $199, plus games, and I even tossed in an extra controller for my roommate.  I think I charged around $300 in that first transaction.  I’d pay it off over time.  Well, that was the only part of this plan I had right.  I would pay it off over time – years!

Young and Dumb

During my 20’s I was mostly “young and dumb,” especially when it came to money.  It’s not that I was downright irresponsible with money, but I just wasn’t making conscious decisions about my spending. For most of my 20’s I lived with a “monthly payment” mentality where I justified financing my lifestyle because I could afford the payments.  Looking back, this was an incredibly immature way of looking at finances.  I even remember being about 22 years old and pining for a new car.  My low status on the career totem pole meant the purchase consumed a large percentage of my annual salary–but that’s okay, I could afford the payment.  And then something happened and I was instantly cured of car fever, gadget envy, and all the other consumer cravings that had caused me problems up to that point.

Cars are Just Hunks of Metal Riding on Four Pieces of Rubber

I’ve never really been a car guy.  I didn’t grow up around car restorations, or mechanics, and my grandfather owned exactly two vehicles in 34 years.  But I did like cars, and when I was a teenager I wanted a “cool car.”  I didn’t get one, but I did inherit my grandmother’s car which was in pristine condition, mechanically.  In fact, I wish I still had that car!  When I finished college I needed a new car, because after all, I was working and earning a salary and I “deserved” it.  I leased an SUV, and several years later traded it in on a newer, used Chevy Silverado.  Oh, how I loved that truck–sport trim package, V-8, ice-cold air, CD player, great sound system, etc, etc.  It also came with a new monthly payment, and an increase to my insurance premium.  For a few months I drove that truck and loved it.  My grandfather had offered his old truck to drive, but I wanted a “cool truck.”

One day, after writing out the check for the monthly payment, and the increased monthly insurance premium, something hit me like a ton of bricks.  I sat there watching my kids play in our backyard, and then looked over at that “new” truck.  How much could their futures be improved by taking this $400 a month and applying it to our other debts, and then saving it for their future education?  How could I be so selfish.

A Cure to Car Fever

I got in my truck and drove to an office supply store, picked up a “For Sale” sign, and listed it for sale in our credit union bulletin the next day.  Two weeks later I got a call.  The prospective buyer loved the truck, offered what I was asking and left to arrange financing.  That Saturday morning he and his wife drove over to pick it up.  We exchanged a cashier’s check, and a bill of sale, and away they went.  As I stood there in the driveway watching my “dream truck” drive away I was forever cured of car fever.  It was if I could literally feel the transfer of the burden of car debt move from me to the new buyer–poor guy.

That was about four years ago.  I’ve been driving my grandfather’s “old” truck ever since that Saturday morning.  I will continue to drive it as long as it runs.  I’ve adopted a utilitarian view on automobiles (and other things).  They are literally hunks of metal pieced together, set on four tires, and sold to us for the purpose of transportation.  Cars don’t define our social status, and are horrible indicators of wealth.  Never again will I fall victim to worrying about what others think, or what marketers try to convince me to think.

Do you know someone who is “perpetual poor?” You know the type – constantly complaining, poor-mouthing, griping about the price of everything and jealous of everything others have. I think we all know at least one or two of those types.

I’ve had the displeasure of knowing many, and over time I have heard my share of sob stories related to their personal finances. I recognize that some people are generally down on their luck, or going through a rough patch. Maybe they have faced a debilitating illness, or a job layoff, or some other tragic event that has derailed them from leading successful, productive lives. Those are not the people I am referring to when I attach the label “perpetual poor.”

Perpetual poor people have a language of their own – a way of speaking that almost immediately identifies them as members of this class. When kids are young and they use an inappropriate word parents remind them to “watch their language.” As adults we still need an occasional reminder when we utter a financial expletive. I recognize that the words that follow will likely step on some toes, so put on a pair of steel-toe boots and read on.

“The poor man just can’t get ahead”

Quite possibly my all-time favorite statement of those with a poor attitude. This one is often muttered by someone insecure in their own abilities, and lacking any aspiration to improve their lot in life. They go around knocking “rich” people, minimizing their efforts by insinuating that they are rich because they are lucky, or because their parents were rich.

In some cases, both may be true, but the average millionaire in America started with nothing and built a successful career through hard work, dedication and a never-ending willingness to acquire new knowledge. Remember, there are no financial Cinderellas.

How to identify members of this group:

• Can recite the last five winners of American Idle (that’s not a typo) from memory
• Haven’ t picked up a book since high school
• Never stretched to learn a new skill at work, but complain about being passed over for promotions

“We struggle just to make ends meet”

A close cousin of “poor man” who can’t get ahead, this group thinks it could get ahead if it weren’t for a variety of external forces holding them back. Rising gas prices, a shrinking economy, and the President of the United States all conspire to keep them down. They spend up to their income (and then some), save virtually nothing and frequently splurge on unnecessary items because “they deserve it” (see below).

How to identify members of this group:

• They can frequently be spotted moving about new car lots on Sunday afternoons leaving a trail of drool in their wake
• Convenience stores are a hot spot for picking up the weekly supply of beer and cigarettes
• Several times a year their habitats go dark while they retreat to the nearest beach for a much-deserved break

“Everyone has a car payment – it is a fact of life”

Speaking of new car lots, if you manage to run across a member of the perpetual poor species here and asked them to justify their presence you’ll hear that everyone has to have a car payment. They are too expensive to buy with cash! That may be the smartest thing these types will ever admit. New cars are too expensive to buy with cash, that’s why I choose to buy used cars in good mechanical condition and drive them until the lug nuts fall off.

How to identify members of this group:

• The easiest way to spot members of this group is to look around parking lots at crowded shopping malls. They usually park at least 100ft from the building and perpendicular to the parking spot’s stripes, making sure to take up three spots. This is to lessen the chances of dings from car doors and shopping carts. After all, they pay nearly as much for this automobile as they do for their homes so it makes sense to protect such an “investment.”
• Revving engines, sunburned foreheads in convertibles and Mercedes symbol key chains are other common signs

“The only way to get rich in America is to hit the lottery”

Another personal favorite of mine. The lottery is effectively a government sponsored tax on poor people. Don’t believe me? Check out lottery sales by zip code of any participating state and you will discover that the majority of lottery tickets are sold in the poorest sections of town.

It is no secret, really. If you are ever around a gas station on Friday night you see them lined up at the counter forking over $20 of their hard-earned paycheck for their chance at financial glory. And just try telling them that $20 a week in a mutual fund averaging 8% growth for 30 years adds up to $130,000. Who can afford to invest in mutual funds?

How to identify members of this group:

• Frequently spotted at convenience stores, bingo halls and anywhere video poker is allowed
• Usually absent one week out of the year for the annual pilgrimage to Las Vegas, Biloxi or Atlantic City
• Excluded from this category: Otherwise financially independent individuals who play the lottery, or bingo as a hobby

“I work hard so I deserve it”

One of the most common statements of the perpetual poor class. These people typically do work hard, but believe their lavish lifestyles are justified because they are such hard workers, as if no one else is out here hustling for a dollar. Perhaps if they “deserved” less they wouldn’t have to work so hard.

The fact is there have been many before you, and many who will come after, who have worked much harder, for much longer periods of time without ever getting a break or a material reward. My great-grandmother raised nine children during the depression era, hand-washing cloth diapers for twenty-two years in a row, preparing meals for eleven people from scratch (and not much scratch to work with), and ironing by candle light late into the night. Sitting in an air conditioned office all day playing with computers would have seemed like a vacation to her.

How to identify members of this group:

• Often seen double parked in front of a Best Buy store trying to squeeze a 52″ plasma television into their hatchback.
• Male species frequently spotted driving huge pickup trucks with six tires, dual exhaust, and an ATV loaded in the back.

“You Can’t Take It With You”

A review of the lifetime earnings statement of this class of perpetual poor would reveal lifetime spending well in excess of lifetime earnings, leaving nothing saved for a rainy day or a future retirement. They expect to work late and die young, leaving little reason to save for their golden years. If they should happen to be forced to retire early they will live on social insecurity, complaining about the benefits all the while.

No, we can’t take it with us, but we can be responsible adults and save to support our future selves rather than being a financial burden to our loved ones. We can also use the opportunity to help our loved ones, who will become our legacy, get on solid financial footing and continue the tradition of passing generational wealth to the new branches of our family tree.

How to identify members of this group:

• Savings account balance: $52.29
• Retirement Funds: $0.00 (cashed it out after leaving last job to pay off credit card debt)
• Life insurance coverage: $0.00 – can’t afford the premiums

At various points in my life I have probably been a member of each of the above classes, which inherently qualifies me to make fun of them. However, if you find yourself a member of one of the these perpetual poor classes it doesn’t have to be a permanent diagnosis. It is possible to overcome a perpetual poor mentality, but it involves some heavy-duty lifting on our part to rise above our circumstances. It also takes a complete attitude overhaul, so watch your language!

I did something last Friday I haven’t done in a very long time. I visited a fast food establishment for lunch. Yes, I have been out to eat a couple times in the last few months, but not for lunch, and not fast food. I was surprised at how expensive the so-called “value meals” were. I frequently see people looped around drive-thru windows on their lunch hour buying $6-$7 “value” meals. It got me to thinking – just how much wealth are we chewing away on our lunch hour?

The costs of fast food. These days the cost of everything seems to be going up, and few product costs are inflating faster than food. With the cost of milk, meats, eggs, and even bread rising across the country, fast food chains are passing the associated increases along to customers. As the price of eating out increases, so does the opportunity costs we pay by not pocketing that money and brown-bagging a lunch made from home.

Costs per month. The brilliance behind “the latte factor,” made famous by author David Bach, was that it got consumers to think long term. Carrying daily costs out to a weekly, monthly and yearly figure was a wake-up call to those who considered a $3 expense to have a minimal impact on their overall financial life. Take fast food for example. A $6 combo meal (which typically includes a drink, sandwich and side order of fries or salad) eaten every day of the five-day workweek will cost customers $30 a week. That $30 a week, times four weeks, adds $120 a month to your food budget.

Costs per year. Continuing our fast food example, that $120 monthly fast food bill becomes a $1,440 annualized expense. Staggering, isn’t it? Imagine the things we could do with $1,400! You could open a Roth IRA, start a 529 plan for your kids, take a couple courses at a local college to further your career, start an emergency fund, or take a paid-for vacation. All for the price of a $6 cheeseburger, french fries and soda. Next time I’m craving a cheeseburger, I think I’ll just make my own from home.

I picked on fast food establishments for purposes of this example, but they are not the only place we throw away hundreds of dollars every year. Pack-a-day smokers spend nearly the same amount to fund their habit, as do beer-drinkers and wine consumers. My vice used to be bottled soft drinks from my old company’s break room. I probably bought a drink or two a day for years over the time I worked there, at $1.00 a pop! All the while I complained about a $500 minimum investment required by a mutual fund I was interested in – where was I going to get $500? I should have started with the vending machine.