Jan 4, 2024
Some families seem to be living a nightmare instead of the American dream.
Over 60% of Americans were living paycheck to paycheck as of November, according to finance data firm PYMNTS. Meanwhile, data from the Federal Reserve’s most recent Survey of Consumer Finances, released in October, shows that the median net worth of a U.S. family was just $192,900 in 2022.
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These statistics highlight how much the typical American family is struggling to build wealth. There are several potential reasons for this, from inflation to pay stagnation, that are beyond the control of the average income earner.
But Warren Buffett believes there are some avoidable financial mistakes that could be holding many people back. Here are three he’s mentioned over the years.
Zero-Balance Mentality
Buffett seems to enjoy living well below his means despite his massive fortune.
Unfortunately, some people operate under a zero-balance mentality. A person might believe they can get away with spending $1,000 a week if they earn $1,000 that week. In reality, they can actually only afford to spend less than $1,000 if they account for unexpected expenses and the need to save.
This may be one of the reasons why the personal savings rate in the U.S. is below pre-pandemic levels at 4.1% of disposable income as of November, according to the Federal Reserve bank of St. Louis.
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Buy Now, Pay Later
Buffett has never been a fan of leverage, which is the use of borrowed funds to raise one's trading position.
"If you don't have leverage, you don't get in trouble. That's the only way a smart person can go broke, basically,” he told the U.S. government in 2010 as part of an investigation into the 2007-2008 financial crisis.
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Accordingly, Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway has a debt-to-equity ratio of just 0.25. But the average American seems unable to manage the same level of risk: U.S. household debt accounted for 64.1% of GDP as of September, according to CEIC Data.
Americans, especially younger consumers, appear to be getting acquainted with buy now, pay later (BNPL) services. These services allow consumers to acquire items they can't afford by paying in installments In fact, 57% of respondents to a survey published by FinMasters said they regretted using BNPL services after a purchase, highlighting the issue.
Debt in all forms, from excessive mortgages to BNPL schemes, create barriers to wealth accumulation for the average person.
Keeping Up With Your Neighbors
To many, the grass can seem greener on the other side of the fence, and this type of thinking can drive some to overspend in order to keep up appearances with their neighbors. According to Buffett, this is also the cause of risky financial behavior and bubbles in the economy.
"People start being interested in something because it's going up, not because they understand it or anything else,” he told CNBC during an interview in 2018. “But the guy next door, who they know is dumber than they are, is getting rich and they aren't."
Envy shouldn’t drive financial decisions. Avoid this mistake if you’re trying to build long-term prosperity. After all, Buffett himself still lives in the same house he purchased for $31,500 in 1958.
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Vishesh Raisinghani is a financial journalist covering personal finance, investing and the global economy. He's also the founder of Sharpe Ascension Inc., a content marketing agency focused on investment firms. His work has appeared in Moneywise, Yahoo Finance!, Motley Fool, Seeking Alpha, Mergers & Acquisitions Magazine and Piggybank.
