May 18, 2017 Reflection (Personal Finance)

1. How useful did you find writing blog entries for every class?
I found it quite useful! I enjoyed writing blog entries. It allowed me to reflect on what had happened in class that day. In addition, it allowed me to think about what I wanted to focus on for the future. Beyond this class I think I might continue blogging/journaling in order to keep going.

2. The number one concept I have learned to date is...
Budgeting! I'm honestly so glad I started budgeting. While I've learned an amazing amount about where to invest my money, budgeting is what made this class for me. 

It's#1 because...
At the beginning, it was difficult and I ended up spending more than I could save. By the end, though, I found a system that worked for me and ended up saving a LOT more!

3. My biggest takeaway from the PF classes in April and May is...
Confidence is key. Now, I have a newfound appreciation for Personal Finance. The books we read in class have no doubt strengthened my confidence. And even though this slightly trivializes the subject, I've begun treating it like a game. I challenge myself to save more money than I spend. I compete with myself to earn more money than I lose. It's fun. 

May 16, 2017 Reflection (Personal Finance)

CME is over. My team did the worst. I don't quite know how to feel about that. I'm glad that I was able to get a better understanding on trading futures, but at the same time I feel bad that we did so badly. As I write in my CME summative assignment, it's lowered my confidence while simultaneously increasing the amount of experience I have.

On another note, May has been an amazing month for my budget. Because it's my birthday month, I've gotten a lot of gifts from my friends and family. As a result, other than the most basic food, I've been spending very little. The most I've spent is on groceries, to be honest. I'm glad I've been budgeting - this has raised my confidence.

May 12, 2017 Reflection (Personal Finance)

I wasn't here on Tuesday -- I was taking my AP Calculus exam. Tuesday marked the very last AP exam I will ever have to take. It was a bittersweet feeling. I'm glad that I'm done, but it's also a bit sad. I've found that I actually quite enjoy taking exams.  

At home, I have been reading The Behavior Gap. I think I'm actually enjoying this more than I did Millionaire Teacher. I'm not exactly sure how to explain it. Richards focuses a lot on what I as an individual can do. In contrast, Hallam focused on the errors of others and what people can learn from them. Both have their pros and cons, but I like the more personal feel of Richards's writing.