Financial Experts Share Their Best Money Tips From 2022
When it comes to financial advice, Americans turn to a variety of sources, including books (20%), podcasts and radio shows (23%), social media (19%), blogs and websites (45%), TV shows (15%), news columns (20%) and popular financial figures (33%), according to a GOBankingRates survey.
See Our List: 100 Most Influential Money Experts
Discover: 9 Safest Places To Retire Abroad for Less Than $2,000 a Month
But not all advice is created equal, so GOBankingRates determined the best of the best in each of these categories by analyzing “best of” lists and other rankings. Notable names who made the cut for our list of 2022 100 Most Influential Money Experts include Mark Cuban, Dave Ramsey and Tori Dunlap.
Keep reading to find out the best money tips from these experts and others.
David Bach, Author of ‘The Automatic Millionaire’
“If you feel you are behind on your savings, the first thing you should do is have your numbers run. A financial advisor, in less than a few hours, can help you access the likelihood of a successful retirement based on your savings, investments and projected spending. A professionally done plan can help you access how much additional savings you need to have each year to reach your goals. It can also help you figure out if you need to cut your expenses.”
Liz Claman, ‘The Claman Countdown’ Host
“Start investing as an infant. I’m not kidding. Every newborn should come out screaming, ‘Put me in a no-load S&P index, Mom!!!’ Even if it’s the $50 Uncle Irving gives you the day you’re born, ALL parents should start putting even a small amount every month into the stocks of good quality companies or an S&P index fund. If you can start early, the value of compound growth is put on steroids; the average rate of growth of an investment over a multi-year period is so much more dramatic when you give yourself a longer runway.”
Barbara Corcoran, Shark on ‘Shark Tank’
“Whether you’re struggling with a little business or running an empire, the best money spent is making sure your team has fun. It’s the most overlooked tool for building a wildly innovative team, and you need to make it part of the budget.”
Jim Cramer, ‘Squawk on the Street’ Host
“Everyone should own an index fund first, and only after you think you have built it up considerably, THEN can you buy individual stocks.”
Rachel Cruze, Author of ‘Know Yourself, Know Your Money’
“Use a zero-based budget. Simply put, zero-based budgeting is when your income minus your expenses equals zero. This method is effective because you are being intentional with every single dollar coming in and can decide how much to put toward debt, savings and retirement every month. Your budget is also most effective when you track your spending regularly. I do this every day!”
Mark Cuban, Shark on ‘Shark Tank’
“Don’t follow excitement, follow your homework. People tend to chase excitement in markets, thinking if everyone else is buying or selling, they should be, too. Instead, we all need to do our homework and have a good reason why we are buying or selling a stock. And when you don’t know what to do, do nothing. Over the long haul of decades, the markets will work in your favor.”
Danetha Doe, Founder of Money & Mimosas
“Practice money mindfulness by having a weekly money date! A money date is a time to review your spending habits and investment goals. If you want to achieve success in any area of your life, you have to consistently track it. Your money date is a fun way to track your financial progress.”
Tori Dunlap, Founder of Her First $100K
“Shame surrounding money causes people to put off prioritizing their finances, but it’s crucial to start now. Start paying off debt now. Start budgeting now. And start investing as soon as you can — even if it’s just $100 in an IRA or taking your company match each month. When it comes to investing specifically, time is your most valuable asset.”
John Eringman, @johnefinance (TikTok)
“Stop spending money on things to impress other people. Designer clothes and exotic cars will keep you chained to a job you don’t like.”
David Greene, ‘BiggerPockets Real Estate Podcast’ Host
“Real estate investors build wealth in more ways than people may think. While they obviously make money when the prices of their properties rise, they also make money when the rental income is more than the expenses associated with owning the property. This tends to happen over a longer period of time as inflation pushes rents higher while expenses stay relatively fixed. In addition to this, there are tax benefits associated with real estate investing, and paying down the loan balance on a property creates equity, too.”
Morgan Housel, Author of ‘The Psychology of Money’
“A lot of money problems come from people not knowing what they want out of life, or following advice that fits someone else’s dreams.”
Andrei Jikh, Andrei Jikh (YouTube)
“Building wealth is about investing in yourself first. Before thinking about YOLO-ing into some risky crypto, focus on increasing your income and the rest will come much easier.”
John Liang, @johnsfinancetips (TikTok)
“The ‘secret’ to investing is that there is no secret: The most successful investors are the ones with the most ‘boring’ portfolios. A low-cost, broad-based market index fund is one of the surest ways to long-term wealth gain. Just buy and hold, and let time do the rest. There are countless studies that show us that the professional fund managers on Wall Street fail to consistently (meaning greater than 50% of the time) beat their benchmark market index. Think about that: People get paid millions a year, but they can’t even beat the market, so then why should retail investors even try? They shouldn’t. Just be the market.”
Erin Lowry, Author of ‘Broke Millennial’
“Set actionable goals and then invest and be consistent, even if you start with a small amount. It’s much harder to achieve your big financial goals without investing.”
Nate O’Brien, Nate O’Brien (YouTube)
“I wish people would pay more attention to the 80/20 rule. Instead of trying to save money on $4 Starbucks coffee, you’re better off focusing on the largest expenses, like housing, transportation and food. Eighty percent of expenses come from 20% of purchases.”
Kevin O’Leary, Shark on ‘Shark Tank’
“An uncertain financial environment can be intimidating for investors, but it’s also a time of opportunity for those who are savvy enough to know where to look for growth.”
Charles Payne, ‘Making Money with Charles Payne’ Host
“First and foremost, cut spending and save money. People like to complain and want to keep up with the Joneses. I went 10 years without a credit card. To this day I rarely use a credit card — I only have a mortgage because I was making more with money in the bull market — and when I do, I pay them off 100% at the end of the month. The other thing is to commit to learning — read, study and read some more, then take the plunge.”
Taylor Price, @pricelesstay (TikTok)
“I wish more young investors knew the buying opportunities in a bear market. A majority of young investors are scared of today’s market conditions. However, I believe this is a time when young people may take advantage of this opportunity — they can purchase assets at a discount and seek longer-term returns.”
Dave Ramsey, Author of ‘The Total Money Makeover’
“Have a written plan for your money — aka a budget. If you want to build wealth, you have to plan for it. Next, get out of debt, and stay out of debt. Your most powerful wealth-building tool is your income. And when you spend your whole life sending payments to Sallie Mae, banks and credit card companies, you end up with less money to save and invest for your future.”
Tonya Rapley, Author of ‘The Money Manual’
“Spend less than you earn. When it comes to money, you can’t outsmart the math. No amount of spreadsheets or financial advice can counter overspending.”
Jaime Rogozinski, Founder of r/wallstreetbets
“Most people that want to take control of their own investments probably know more than they need to know already. What most people are missing is hands-on experience to know what that knowledge feels like when it’s applied. It’s conquering these very feelings (and emotions) that defines success.”
Andrew Sather, ‘The Investing for Beginners Podcast’ Host
“Everyone should at least get started and put something into the stock market, even if they feel they don’t have much to save and invest. The most powerful ally you can have as an investor is compound interest over a long period of time.”
Ramit Sethi, Author of ‘I Will Teach You To Be Rich’
“No one is coming to save you with your money, so getting started is more important than getting everything perfect. For example, many people who write to me have never read a single book on personal finance. Money is one of the most important things in our life, and yet we’re confused about terms like ‘401(k)’ and ‘asset allocation.’ No one really teaches us about money and we know we’re not doing it right, but we’re not sure who to trust. The key is to just get started. Follow a simple plan for automatic savings, investing and using your money to live a rich life. You can always tweak it later.”
Jaspreet Singh, Minority Mindset (YouTube)
“[Know] how to invest your money. The goal should be to have your investments pay for your expenses. Once you achieve that, you’re financially free. Many times we assume it takes a ton of money to do this, but you can start with $100. It’s not rocket science, but it takes the right financial education and discipline.”
Michelle Singletary, The Washington Post Columnist
“The most important thing you can do to build wealth is to develop a healthy and life-long hatred of debt. If debt were a person, I’d slap it. Many people are living the ‘American dream’ but on borrowed money. So when hard times come around, such as rising inflation, they are so burdened with debt that they can’t weather the financial storm. Yes, for many things you have to borrow — to buy a home, for example. But if you hate debt, you might borrow less and that will help you build wealth because you can devote more of your earnings to saving for retirement.”
Scott Trench, Author of ‘Set for Life’
“I wish that people knew that real estate investing is a double-edged sword. It’s a powerful way to build wealth over the long term and accessible to most Americans earning a median or higher income. Yet, it is also a dangerous game where, as investors, we play with big numbers and assume legal, operational and financial risks. This is a business that requires, literally, hundreds of hours of self-education from the investor prior to getting started. Those who fail to pay the ‘price’ (in terms of hours of preparation and self-education) end up spending just as much or more time trying to resolve issues in a failing investment down the line. Don’t get into real estate investing if you aren’t willing to invest the time up front to learn this business.”
Mandi Woodruff-Santos, Founder of MandiMoney
“Change your mindset around wealth. Tell yourself it’s possible to build wealth, that you can learn anything and that you can do it! Once you begin to internalize your ability to build wealth, it makes it easier to take the steps needed to increase your earnings, start investing and learn along the way.”
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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: Financial Experts Share Their Best Money Tips From 2022
