Why Americans should think about personal finance like their 'dream car'
11/05/2024 21:43
Money is a consistent and looming stressor for many people. However, a change in perspective could help the average person feel more in control of their finances.
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Money is a consistent stressor for many people. According to a 2024 Discover survey, 80% of people in the US report feeling anxious about their financial situation, and a third of those surveyed report feeling "severe anxiety" about their finances.
However, a change in perspective could help the average person feel more in control of their finances, Neon Money Club co-founder Luke Bailey argued in a recent episode of Yahoo Finance’s Financial Freestyle.
Bailey's aim at the lifestyle-oriented financial tech company is to make saving and investing as appealing as other aspirational goals.
"If anyone asks you, 'What is your dream car? What is your dream house?' you'd be able to tell them," Bailey told Ross Mac on the podcast (see video above; listen below). "But if somebody asks you, 'What's your dream investment portfolio?' or 'What's your dream stock-to-cash portfolio?' would you have an answer for them? ... Most Americans wouldn't. Maybe we need to be approaching it like that."
Bailey stressed that a person's approach to financial decisions should match their lifestyle, and it should become an everyday habit, like getting dressed.
“I need people to think about their financial health like they think about a good [outfit] before they leave the house,” Bailey said. Financial wellness, in other words, should be something integrated into people's lives, and it should be something they can talk about with others.
Bailey started working for banks when he was just 19 years old. But as a musician, he admitted that the idea of working in finance didn’t appeal to him at first.
“My dad said, 'Luke, ... the music isn't your talent, ... it's how you think that is your talent,'" Bailey said. He added that his dad told him to "'keep producing. ... 'Just treat [banking and finance] like music.'"
"And that's what I do," Bailey said. "Everything to me is music."
Now, Bailey runs his company, Neon Money Club, like a studio.
"Producing is not making a great beat," Bailey said. "It's putting the greatest people in the room to produce something really, really special. And when I realized I can do that in [the corporate world] as well, that's when it hit me — like, wow, it's always been there. I'm still using music today."
Through Neon Money Club, he and his co-partner aim to make conversations about money and personal finance more appealing to people on an everyday basis.
Neon Money Club put out a variety of resources that make educating and talking about personal finance easier. For instance, the company has a simple run-and-jump game available on its website that quizzes players on investing terms, helping them educate themselves as they play. It also released Score, a dating app for singles with good credit.
Recently, Neon Money Club collaborated with American Express (AXP) to release a credit card that lets cardholders invest their reward points directly into the stock market, making it just a little bit easier to add to one’s investing portfolio.
Bailey said the card was about making "something people want."
"I learned that from music," he explained. "If [people] don't get the demo within the first 10-15 seconds, you’re done."
Every Monday, Financial Freestyle host Ross Mac talks with key guests to discuss their wealth-building journeys and what it takes to build a lasting financial footprint. You can find more episodes on our video hub or watch on your preferred streaming service.