Bert Visscher's Website

Americans and Money

If you haven't read my blog post about solving problems yet, then go do that now, because I'll be drawing on that in this post.

Not to speak badly of Americans - I happen to be in love with one, and I have quite a few Americans among my friends - but evidence suggests that the majority of people in the U.S.A. don't understand how money works. Don't believe me? Watch these videos:

• 78% Of Americans Are Broke - Here's Why by Minority Mindset
• Exposing Financial Illiteracy... by Minority Mindset
• The 4 Savings Accounts Everyone Needs by The Financial Diet
• 5 Ways / Tips To Save Money Like the Dutch... by Jovie's Home

I'll admit, the third video doesn't exactly prove my point, but it does highlight differences between how the average Dutchman and the average American use money.

I've crafted this blog post in an effort to inform all my American readers, and anyone else who might find these tips useful, and in the hope that this will help Cori and me in our quest to finally come together.

Our Differences

One difference between Dutch and American people is that Dutch people don't finance anything.

OK, I'll be honest. Dutch people do finance the house, but that's it! The simple reason being that borrowing money costs money. Something which, btw, Dutch companies that offer loans are required to state at the end of every commercial.

Anyway...let me explain.

The first thing you need to understand is that to finance something is a fancy way of saying you borrow money for it from the bank. The banks don't offer this service for free. If you take out a loan, you pay interest for it. This ends up making your purchase more expensive. This is why the financially more savvy people don't do it, or only if they absolutely have to.

Here are some additional things Dutch people do differently:

• We use up what we have.
• We only buy things we actually plan to use.
• We don't buy what we can't afford.
• We buy things on sale. (btw, check out Camel Camel Camel)

I also have my bank automatically transfer any money on my checking account that exceeds a certain amount, to my savings account.

Personal Consequences

I believe that the resistance against me going to the U.S.A. is, at least in part, due to the financial trouble the average American is in. However, I treat money very differently. So, would I really end up in such a bad situation myself?

I hope you found this blog post interesting, and that you'll share it with anyone you believe might benefit from it.

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