You know those people who count pennies in their sleep, make excel spreadsheets of their excel spreadsheets, and have researched every possible deal they can find via extensive googling to the point it makes you jealous? Yeah, me too. My business partner is one of them. She’s the fiscal genius we all know and love. She doesn’t work for her money, her money works for her. She finds a dollar in places where one would never even think to open the door to look for said dollar, and she does the same for our clients. Her research inspired me to do some of my own. I began thinking, why do so many people have a hard time seeing the life of a dollar? Is it because of intangible liquid assets behind the face of a debit card, or something more?

Recently, we have seen a fair amount of coverage about the personal finances of business owners in the area, under umbrellas of conversation about the FIRE method for their personal expenses, and through awareness of spending habits via articles posted online on The Charlotte Observer and The Charlotte Agenda. The Agenda does a Cash Confessional series where they follow the weekly expenses of one or more people, to track how money is spent and where it actually goes (see link for their article). In addition to managing their own personal finances, these people manage businesses. They’re your neighbors. They’re your co-workers. They’re the CEOs of your company.

Now this concept is something I find to be very interesting for the modern world in a seemingly new age. Businesses and individuals have no idea where their money goes. It comes into the bank, it leaves the bank, but a track record is hard to put a finger on. Bills are paid, people are paid for services, and yet, without a streamlined method of currency control, no one knows what happens to the leftover money that supposedly is going into the company’s pocket. Hint, hint. A bookkeeper, anyone?

I, like many other non-number savvy people, use the financial side of the business with an extraordinary level of reliance and trust to operate without my input whatsoever. But, could you imagine the sheer horror if I didn’t? Complete pandemonium and chaos. Bills would not be paid. Taxes would not be accounted for. Life would overall be terrible. The same can be said for if I relied solely on my own advice to manage my personal budget. Across the board, it seems there is a wave for more financially sound education. There are more books, podcasts, videos, vlogs, and blogs out there than ever before, and we are pleasantly surprised.

So on this late Friday afternoon post, I encourage all of you to get out there and learn a bit more about your finances. Personal, professional, or otherwise. Talk to someone who knows a little about the money game, read a book, or go watch a YouTube video.

Be seen, and be heard, but be educated too. Happy weekend, QC.