Theres a lot of talk about the Government shut down and Government workers not being able to pay bills or buy food after not being paid for thirty days. While I have compassion for thier struggle, we’ve got to use this situation as a wake up call. A call to action to improve our financial health.
I typically like to talk about and focus on leadership and developing better Construction Field Leaders. This subject however impacts us all. This past month its been the government shut down but we in the construction industry know all to well the impact of shut downs, economic down turns, and hard ship.
The financial heath and fitness of Americans is in bad shape, really bad shape. Look at a few of the statistics from Debt.com;
Just how bad is it?
19% have $0 saved
31% have less than $500
39% have less than $1000 saved
Th avaerage American credit card debt is $16,245
44% could not pay for a $400 emrgency out of pocket
How do we fix this?
First of all understand that it is fixable. We’ve got to first recognize the problem, seek out the solutions, then employ some discipline, and take action. The steps needed aren’t any real secret or some amazing strategy. They’ve been the same since the begining of time. Obviously number one is, dont spend more than you make. The old saying is, it isnt how much you make, its how much you keep. Its not a well guarded secret, its that simple. So how do you do that or more importanly, how do you get out of debt and on the road to saving?
I am a big advocate of Dave Ramseys work, full disclosure I am a certified Dave Ramsey financial coach. Ramsey has 
1. Understand where your money is going.
2. Identify wastefull spending and habits.
3. Make adjustments and tell your money where to go. Intentional spending.
4. Priorotize and set goals.
5. Track your spending/savings goals
We’ve got to take control of and be responsible for our own financial health. Follow these steps and teachings and you can protect yourself against the next government shutdown, lay off, or economic downturn.
