Brokerage firm Charles Schwab commissioned a survey in January 2009 to measure young persons' attitudes about their finances. Using cutesy metaphors like "a little flabby," "seriously out of shape" and "toned and fit" to describe their bank accounts and 401(k)s, the survey concluded that young people are extremely concerned about their financial futures.
Well, yeah...have you seen the S & P ticker lately? I think we all are pretty vigilant about where our money's going.
What was interesting to me was that:
Here's the thing: you can't separate the two. What good is financial fitness if you aren't going to be alive to access the money? (Severe obesity has recently been shown to take nearly 10 years off lifespan -- similar to heavy smoking). And, on the other side, physical fitness can go a long way towards preventing a multitude of $costly$ medical conditions: heart failure, diabetes, and stroke, just to name a few.
A little disappointing, really. Obviously we need to re-frame our approach to both financial and physical wellness. In my opinion, the approach is the same: education, balance and a little self-control. Your thoughts?
