10 Warning Signs That You’re Falling Into Financial Mediocrity…And What You Can Do To Avoid It!

Financial disaster rarely comes about overnight. Even for those devastated by a sudden, tragic event, the foundation of their collapse lies in their daily habits.

Whether overcome by an unexpected experience, or living in a state of financial neglect, many people are in full-blown denial about their contributions to where they are financially.

‘How can this possibly be my fault?’ they ask.

It’s possible due to the ostrich syndrome. Ostrich what?

Ostrich syndrome definition: Denying or refusing to acknowledge something that is blatantly obvious, as if your head were in the sand like an ostrich.

Simply put, ostrich thinking is the act of distracting yourself in order to avoid thinking about a problem. You close the mental “shades” to the windows of reality and hope that if you can no longer see the problems, then maybe they’ll just go away.

I have news for you, ostrich syndrome doesn’t make problems go away. It just makes them more expensive.

And when it comes to being in denial about money problems, ostrich syndrome makes the problems terribly expensive.

There are some signs of this problem that are obvious, but there are many more that are not.

Spotting the signs that hint to underlying financial troubles can often be difficult. While most people know they should get out of debt, earn more money and spend less than they make, there are plenty more subtle clues out there that could signal pending financial disaster in the future.

Here are 10 subtle signs that you have ostrich syndrome about money, and what to do about it:

1. You recently got turned down for a loan: If you have recently applied for a loan or line of credit either through a bank or a credit card company and have been turned down, you may have a problem that you’re in denial about. The sign of someone in good financial health is when they easily qualify for car and home loans.

2. You charge ordinary living expenses on a credit card: If you are unable to afford your ordinary living expenses and must resort to the use of a credit card to meet your monthly living expenses, you have by definition, ostrich syndrome. Accumulating credit card debt is the third leading cause of bankruptcy, behind a job loss (#2) and medical costs (#1). Credit cards are not a safety net. There a hangman’s noose.

3. You’re consolidating debt while still using your available credit: Debt consolidation can be a great way to dig your way out of debt, but not if you keep using your available credit. That just digs the hole deeper. Just because you can creatively make the problem look smaller, doesn’t mean you’ve actually made the problem smaller.

4. You use payday loans and think that it’s normal. Desperate times may call for desperate measures, and payday loans are a sure sign of desperation. To some, this may not be a big deal, since you pay the loan back with your paycheck, but know this – people in denial have the uncanny ability to disguise and downplay money issues in a way that makes them seem insignificant. Avoid these expensive short-term loans and learn to live with what you make, when you make it.

5. You depend regularly on parents, friends or others to help you out. Consistently relying on outside help to pay the bills is not a long-term solution. It’s a band-aid to a problem that will recur over and over until the core issue is fixed. Dealing with money follows a set of principles that, when violated, boomerang back and hit you in the face harder than you expect.

6. You spend more than 25% of your net income on housing costs. Housing costs include rent, mortgage, real estate taxes, utilities, insurance, repairs and maintenance. Spending a quarter of your income on housing is setting the stage for a financial train wreck. A home is not an investment, it’s an expense.

7. You finance a vehicle for more than 5 years. If you need more than 5 years to afford that new vehicle purchase, you are only kidding yourself. It’s best to get a less expensive, but well-made car that fits your budget.

8. You spend more than 10% of your net income on entertainment/gifts. This includes bars, restaurants, movies, music, books, gifts etc. There’s nothing wrong with enjoying the good things in life, but if you’re spending more than 10% on entertainment and you’re not financially free yet, you’re entertaining your way right into financial mediocrity.

9. You have outdated job skills. It is vitally important to save and invest wisely but without your income, saving and investing would not be possible. The best investment you can make is in yourself. Never let your skills get to the point of being irrelevant. Companies don’t keep people around that are irrelevant.

10. You use one credit card to make minimum payments on another. This is a bad idea. If you can’t find the money to make a credit card payment, using credit from another card will only compound the problem and cost you more money.

The line between a future of financial success and one of distress is thinner than you might think.

Unfortunately, many people don’t realize they’re on the wrong side of that divide until it’s too late. They know that things aren’t good, but they just don’t want to face up to it right now.

But the sooner they realize they’re having issues with money, the better chance they have of fixing them.

Just like many people ignore the warning signs of bad eating habits or of a deteriorating relationship, many people also ignore the signs of impending financial disaster. Please know this – most personal financial meltdowns happen over time. They’re rarely the result of a one-time event.

The warning signs are quite clear. You simply need to look and be honest with yourself.

Do you recognize any of the warning signs above in your finances? When these financial conditions start to pop-up, it’s usually only a matter of time before things get significantly worse.

Don’t be in denial. Make strengthening your finances a priority in your life.

You’ll be glad you did.

Be free. Nothing else is worth it.

P.S. Why aren’t you wealthy yet? It’s because of something you don’t know. Otherwise you’d already be rich. Isn’t it time to learn what you don’t know? Consider signing-up for my newsletter below, to help you build wealth faster.

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