Michelle Singletary Quotes

A foreclosure does not define you financially.

I like the idea of having a paperless society.But to be paperless means you have to be so careful with your identity.

My first piece of career advice is find your gifting. Find the thing that you are skilled at and figure out if you can make a living doing it.

I'm driving my old car until I'm on a first name basis with the low tow truck drivers!

Money may not be able to buy you love, but conflicts about it can certainly bankrupt your relationship.

You shouldn't invest the money if you are looking to use it within five years. Too much risk.

You made a decision given your life circumstances and you have to be ok with that. Regrets that can't be change is just torturing yourself.

I use a "Debt Dash" approach to paying off debt. I recommend people focus on paying off the debt with the lowest balance first. So if the primary has less debt you would focus on that.

Priorities lead to prosperity.

Policy changes like what you desire come from our politicians. So let them know what you think.

I've decided to keep working until my last kid is thu college.

If you'll have enough saved and nobody has to take on debt and you want to retire, shoot go for it.

When you give people who are being financially responsible money, you are enabling them to continue a bad habit. So you are actually helping by saying, "Love you but no."

Set up rules for when you will "give" not lend money. Never lend. My people know that I'll help with college. I'll help if they lose they job thu no fault of their own.

You'll feel better when you get all that debt off your back.

[My grandmother] managed her money better than some financial professionals I know. I give credit always to her because she is the reason I have my column and national recognition.

Having kids doesn't mean they would have taken care o you.

We know intellectually that money can't buy happiness yet we spend and go into debt as if it does.

I write for people who are good money managers and want to know how to be even better stewards over their money.

The rich are depressed because they realize their money can't buy them out of their issues.

I love teaching people how to handle their money and I've built a brand on that skill.

Kids can and are a blessing. But plenty of people without kids live and die just as happy.

You still need to save but being debt-free in retirement is and should be a goal.

Once you finish paying for college you could reduce your life insurance.

We all fall - even me.

I think you can save and spend to live for however long you live. You just have to be flexible if things don't go as plan.

Save what you can toward the emergency and life happens fund. But don't worry yourself sick at the slow growth. The point is it's growing even it's just one dollar at at time.

I just don't like people taking debt into retirement.

If you haven't saved, your child may have to work. But do what you can to NEVER take out student or parent loans.

If we don't want the companies to cheat on us, we shouldn't be cheating on them.

I usually find that my gut doesn't steer me wrong when it comes to my money!

We have to protect ourselves by doing our own homework.

You are NOT a financial failure if you rent. You are getting something for your money. A roof over your head.

The sad thing is many people learn how to manage money after they've made a lot of financial mistakes, some that take decades to fix.

There's nothing wrong with having a 9-to-5 job, but figure out a way to have another stream of income.

Money may not buy love, but fighting about it will bankrupt your relationship.

The key to making sure your credit stays good is paying the bill on time. If you are paying the balance off even if there is something on the card in recent purchases, you are good.

I use my financial values to set my limitations. I have three children I want to put through college debt free. So that means I can't spend wildly or with disregard.

That's is life. You move and change according to things that happen to you and things that you make happen because of poor choices.

Having a separate fund for the things in life that happen, helps keep the emergency fund in tact in case you lose your job or income.

Having fun time is a good use of your money.

My husband and I are pretty good at leaving money alone until we need it for what we've saved it for.

You don't need to waste money on a fancy program or app to do a basic budget. I've been using a simple Excel spreadsheet since 2005 to track my monthly budget.

I'm keenly aware of how important it is to set a good example. You may not think that your kids are paying attention to you, especially with something like money, but they probably are.

The number of those 19 to 25 with private insurance increased from 51 to 55.8 percent, and the percentage of uninsured fell from 33.9 percent in 2010 to 28.8 percent during the first half of 2011.

I understand why many are still poor or struggling to make just a middle-income lifestyle. I'm a fiscal conservative, but I also have compassion for people who make financial mistakes.

We all only have a certain amount of money and that means yes, we have to make choices and sometimes those choices mean we don't get what we want.

Always keep an eye out for other opportunities.

Sometimes your gut is right. And sometimes not.

Many debt collectors offer a lump sum option so ask. And if you get it, make sure it's in writing and you keep the payoff statement FOREVER.