Financial Lessons from the Final Four, Yoga, Homer Simpson, and Other Odd Sources

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Continuing in a series of posts gathering financial wisdom from unusual sources—ranging from Dungeons & Dragons and Charlie Sheen to geese flying patterns and Star Wars—here are some more financial lessons found in unlikely places.

What you can learn from …

A SLASHER MOVIE DIRECTOR
James Wan, director of “Saw” and the new film “Insidious”, tells WalletPop that he’s quite frugal in real life: “I like to spend money on things that appreciate down the track rather than depreciate.” And, no matter if we’re talking about making films or personal finance, you’ll get the best results by spending money wisely and purposefully. Some people call this “conscious spending,” and it basically means spending as a means to get what you truly want, as opposed to buying stuff because someone else tells you it’s important:

“Like anything in life, one has to be creative,” he said. “One has to pick their battles. You don’t want to spend all your money in one place. Sometimes I’d like to spend more money on one scene, but it’s not very important. I’d rather save it for another scene that’s more the money shot.”

THE BEATLES
A new book called Come Together: The Business Wisdom of the Beatles explains success through the lens of the Fab Four. Just as The Beatles aspired to greatness, you must set goals and find the unstoppable drive with to achieve them, while dealing with all those inevitable setbacks and missteps along the way. The authors write:

In life and in business, finding your passion, your mission, your bliss—is the single biggest distinguishing factor between Beatles style success and a world of also-rans. Think of it this way. There is a powerful engine inside you that is designed to do only one thing. Once you harness its power, it is self-sustaining, motivational, miraculous. It makes success almost inevitable. One need only find the ignition switch. Some of us, the lucky few, are born knowing where the switch is. The rest of us must do some work to find it.


HOMER SIMPSON

Homer is usually depicted as sub-average moron rather than sage financial role model. Here’s one of his typical nuggets of wisdom, offered to Bart:

Son, if you really want something in this life, you have to work for it. Now quiet! They’re about to announce the lottery numbers.

But when push comes to shove, however, Homer always does the right thing, even if that requires him to actually pause and think. My all-time favorite quote from the show:

All right, brain. You don’t like me and I don’t like you, but let’s just do this and I can get back to killing you with beer.

The Financial Uproar post “Everything I Know About Money I Learned from Homer Simpson praises the TV family patriarch for, among other things, his ability to enjoy the simple (mostly free) things in life:

You never see him dash off to Vegas for a weekend, or regularly dine at fancy restaurants. He enjoys the simple things: a donut, some cheap beer, laying in a hammock on a sunny day. He enjoys life as much as the next guy — and saves his hard-earned (okay, soft-earned) cash.

YOGA
Yoga, like personal finance, requires discipline, patience, and time. You won’t see positive results by practicing either in haphazard, once-in-a-while fashion. Instead, as this post at the Canadian blog Young and Thrifty points out, consistency and steady, regular effort are needed to reach one’s goals. Also, while it’s best to study under an expert at least at the beginning, understanding the basics opens up the possibility of going the DIY route:

Just like if you go to a yoga studio and pay $12-$15 per class, you can go to a financial advisor and pay a fee for financial advice, or pay commissions on mutual funds. Or, if you prefer to be independent and save money, you can buy a DVD for $15 and use that at home.

SPIDER-MAN
With great sums of money (or even a little) comes great responsibility. Or something like that. A WiseBread post explains that Spidey can teach you the importance of not becoming your own worst enemy:

Having money is having power — power to decide where and how you want to live, what you want to eat, what you want to wear, where you want to travel, how you want to save, and so on. Of course, you can spend that money with abandon. But the temptation to become a villain in your own life can be great, digging yourself deeper into debt and stealing money from your future self.


THE FINAL FOUR

The college basketball March Madness tournament (which ended in April, again) caused the Squirrelers blogger to recall how he turned down a money-making opportunity in college when his school (Indiana) reached the Final Four in Minneapolis. Instead of heading off with his friends, who made $800 selling their tickets, he stayed home and studied for upcoming exams—and he has no regrets:

Sometimes the cost of making some extra money exceeds the benefit. In other words, one can be penny wise and pound foolish.

One example might be taking a job that pays you 25% more, but requires an extra hour of commuting each day and more business travel. You’re turning down a lucrative money-making opportunity, but in doing so you’re making a decision that’s best for you.

I’d argue that the friends who sold their tickets would have regrets too—not that they didn’t study, but that they lost out on that rare chance to see their team play in the Final Four.

HALF MARATHONS
Entering a road race with friends seems like a great idea: It’s healthy, and there are all those feelings of accomplishment and camaraderie. But then it winds up costing you $464. And when you look at all the bills and expenses related to entering a fun race, a rather obvious thought dawns upon you:

“You can get runner’s high at the park for free.”