If it Itches It Will Be Scratched

I like that expression, I found it on one of the many Rules For Men web sites out there.

The actual quote is:

If it itches , it will be scratched

Which is a manly statement (where manly means, it is what a man would say, no implication about the Machismo in the statement), and I think this and other Manly statements can be applied to Personal Finance (and it can be applied by all genders and orientations).

If it itches , it will be scratched

If you have a Personal Finance issue, like debt load, or being unorganized with your finances, that must be dealt with, the same way that if your man purse itches it must be scratched no matter where you are, or how inappropriate it might seem (to your spouse or friends). This statement is an imperative, which is great, don’t worry about whether it is appropriate to deal with this particular Personal Finance itch just deal with it, if it is itching it is probably very important and must be dealt with right away.

Never put off scratching things today end of sentence (in the area of Personal Finance).

In a 6 person hot tub, there should be a maximum of 3 guys.

Again, a very manly statement, and points out that men in general like balance in their lives. Remember that this need for balance should translate to investing as well, and you should always take a balanced view on investments so that there is not too much testosterone in your portfolio, which is never a very good thing (remember that High Tech Bubble? That was WAY too much testosterone in too many portfolios).

Keeping a good balance in Hot Tubs like in Investments is very important.

It is more important to have good health insurance than good health

An interesting statement and I have heard people who are in very bad health obsessing about having health insurance, when if they actually just exercised a bit more they wouldn’t need good health insurance (sort of a Catch-22). This kind of  statement is Manly to the core, and is very important in Personal Finance too. Insurance and it’s role in Planning for the Worst in your Personal Finances is a keystone issue that everyone should take note of, and do something about (you could almost call it an important Itch).

The “sniff test” shall tell us when to wash clothes

This is just common sense, and using our senses correctly to judge whether to do a task is important in all aspects of life. If an investment or personal finance idea is any good it must also be able to pass the Sniff Test, and if it doesn’t, it should be treated much like dirty underwear (thrown back on the floor for someone else to pick it up).

Use all resources available to you for any investment idea so you can make an intelligent Sniff Test.

Christopher Columbus did not need directions and neither do we.

Very true, but then again, Columbus was thought to be insane by many people for trying what he was trying, and sometimes in Investing it is important not to follow where everybody else is going, or where everybody is telling you to go. If everybody was going to jump off a bridge, would you join them? No!, so don’t always ask for directions, if you are sure you know where you need to go.

A man has no need for more than 3 pairs of shoes

While painfully obvious to most of us, in Personal Finance this is also true, that diversity is good, but there is such a thing as being overly diverse in your investments. Having many different investment areas while good, does not give the investor free rein to create hugely diverse portfolios, how many of those investments do you really need?

Never hesitate to reach for the last beer or the last slice of pizza, but not both, that’s just greedy.

Again, a very good point about Personal Finance, never be too greedy. There is always yet another great investment or stock tip that you hear about, but you don’t necessarily need to buy into it. You can push away from the table a little hungry or a little thirsty, it isn’t going to kill you.

In Conclusion

This may seem like a list of sexist, macho crap about men, but in fact these all are genuinely useful personal finance and investment commentaries that can help all of us in our day-to-day Financial Lives.

Any other useful manly statements like that out there?