如何摆脱月光生活，终于实现财务进步

力量。

Power.

力量。

Power.

你光靠省钱是摆脱不了月光族的。

You cannot budget your way out of paycheck to paycheck.

你得想办法增加收入。

You need to increase how much money is coming in the door.

这其实不是花钱的问题。

Like this is not a spending problem.

当然，希望不是，但问题是，我怎么才能赚更多的钱？

Well, hopefully it's not, but this is a, how do I get more money in the door?

如果你真的每个月都月光，那你肯定不是每个月都去丝芙兰花六百美元，所以才月光。

If you're truly living paycheck to paycheck, you're not doing the $600 Sephora haul every month, and that's why you're paycheck to paycheck.

如果你真的只花在必需品上，你会觉得自己被累得半死。

If you actually are spending only on necessities, you feel like you're being worked to the bone.

我觉得每周工作四十个小时却还是入不敷出，这太不公平了。

I don't think it's fair that you cannot make ends meet with a forty hour a week job.

我觉得这不公平。

I think it's not fair.

我们接下来要这么做。

This is what we're gonna do.

你有两个选择。

You got two options.

第一，你得在现在的工作上赚更多的钱。

One, you need to make more money at what you are currently doing.

那具体怎么做呢？

So what does that look like?

比如去谈加薪。

That looks like negotiating a raise.

比如争取升职。

That looks like getting a promotion.

这可能意味着跳槽到别处，以获得更有竞争力的薪水或奖金。

That looks like potentially job hopping somewhere else to get a more competitive salary or bonus.

然后第二个选择是你得搞个副业。

And then the second option is you have to pick up a side hustle.

我知道所有听众现在可能都在想什么。

And I know what everybody listening is probably thinking.

比如，我已经每周工作四十小时了。

Like, I'm working forty hours already.

我已经筋疲力尽了。

I'm exhausted.

我回到家。

I come home.

还得给孩子做饭。

I have to cook for my kids.

还得照顾所有人。

I have to take care of everybody.

我知道。

I know.

我不是说这没问题，也不是说这公平。

I'm not saying it's okay, and I'm not saying it's fair.

所以要么通过谈判加薪、升职，要么找份更好的工作，要么做点副业，比如遛狗、做家教、割草，不管是什么都行。

So either through negotiation of a raise, promotion, through getting a better job, or through making money on the side, walking dogs, tutoring, mowing grass, whatever it might need to be.

你需要让更多的钱进账。

You need to get more money in the door.

问题不在你，但你有能力成为解决方案。

You're not the problem, but you do get to be the solution.

因为一旦有更多的钱进来，你终于能喘口气了。

Because once you have more money coming in the door, you finally get a second to breathe.

当你一直入不敷出的时候，很难做出正确的决定，因为你只想着眼前的决定。

When you're going hand mouth, hand mouth, hand mouth, it's very hard to think about the right decision because you're thinking about the right now decision.

你怎么才能让桌上有点吃的？

How are you gonna put food on the table?

比起往401k里存钱，这更让人操心。

That is a bigger concern than putting money into your four zero one k.

这比纠结“我到底想在终身教职这条路上走多远”更重要。

That's a bigger concern than, what do I really want my career trajectory to be in tenure?

你根本没心思去想那些。

You're not thinking about that.

你满脑子想的都是打卡上班、下班拿钱，然后赶紧把房租交了、买好菜，还得指望生活其他方面别出岔子，因为哪怕来一笔意外开销，都足以让你崩溃。

You are thinking I gotta clock in, clock out, get my money, and do the things that I need to do, which is pay my rent, buy my food, and hopefully have everything else in my life maintained because not one single unexpected expense can come up.

钱多了，就能给自己留点余地。

When you have more money, you buy the buffer.

Vivian，真的太感谢你了。

Vivian, thank you so much.

现在正好是个暂停的好时机，让我们的赞助商说几句，也方便你把这期内容分享给身边那些月光族朋友。

This is the perfect moment to hit the pause so we can give our sponsors a chance to share a few words and to give you a chance to share this with people in your life who are living paycheck to paycheck.

因为你知道的，你其实没必要一直穷下去。

Because as you know, you do not have to stay broke.

你学到的东西会帮你掌控自己的财务生活。

And what you're learning will help you take control of your financial life.

别走开。

And don't go anywhere.

我们回来之后，Vivian会教你具体怎么处理债务。

When we come back, Vivian is going to teach you exactly what to do with debt.

就算你觉得自己的做法没问题，你也一定要听听这个。

And even if you think you're doing it correctly, you definitely wanna hear this.

所以请继续收听。

So stay with me.

一旦有更多钱进账，你终于能喘口气了。

Once you have more money coming in the door, you finally get a second to breathe.

当你一直紧巴巴过日子的时候，很难去想什么正确的决定，因为你只想着眼前的决定。

When you're going hand mouth, hand mouth, hand mouth, it's very hard to think about the right decision because you're thinking about the right now decision.

欢迎回来。

Welcome back.

我是你的朋友梅尔。

It's your friend Mel.

今天，你要学习如何不再月光，以及现在该怎么做，嘉宾是薇薇安·图，她是当今个人理财领域最有影响力的声音之一。

Today, you are learning how to stop living paycheck to paycheck and what to do right now with Vivian Tu, one of the most influential voices in personal finance today.

她会把一切都讲清楚，让你觉得可行，并且帮你卸下那种在经济困难时很容易产生的羞耻感。

She's breaking it all down, she's making it feel doable, and she is removing the shame that is so easy to feel when you find yourself struggling financially.

薇薇安，接下来我想聊的是这个。

So Vivian, this is what I wanna talk about next.

如果你二十多岁，面对竞争激烈的就业市场，你会怎么说？

What would you say if you're in your twenties, crazy challenging job market.

而且你收入不高，因为你不得不接受任何能找到的工作。

And you are not getting paid well because you've had to take whatever job you've had to take.

你有什么建议？

What is your advice?

有些工作是为了学习，有些工作是为了赚钱。

Some jobs are for learning, and some jobs are for earning.

如果你能找到一份能积累工作经验的工作，帮你打开职场大门，让你建立起职业惯性，而且家里有条件支持你搬回家住，那就能分担一部分生活成本，毕竟开销不小。

If you are able to take a job that will give you some job experience, that'll get your foot in the door, that'll give you that inertia, and you have a familial structure that allows you to move home, that'll help subsidize some of those costs because they are expensive.

这样你就能在工作中积累经验，希望这些经验能为你接下来的选择铺路。

You'll be able to get some of that on the job experience that'll then hopefully translate to your next option.

所以有时候，想提高收入，哪怕就业环境再差，你也得考虑跳槽。

And so sometimes the thing you need to do to get paid more is to leave even in a tough job market.

不过我觉得，内部转岗也能达到类似的效果。

But I also think that can happen with department changes.

我觉得如果你打算换个行业，这种情况是有可能发生的。

I think that can happen if you want to maybe change different industries.

比如你之前在一家公司做市场营销，后来去了另一家不同类型的公司，但不管什么公司都需要市场部。

So you're in marketing for one type of company, and then you go to a different type of company, but all companies need marketing teams.

关键是要搞清楚，你是想尽可能多赚钱，还是真的想学点东西？

It is about understanding, are you here to make as much money as possible, or are you here to actually learn something?

我觉得在职业生涯初期，重点应该是学习。

And I think at the beginning of your career, it should be about learning something.

这并不是说你不应该要求更多，但一开始就期望一个惊人的数字，可能意味着你不得不放弃生活中的其他部分，而很少有人真正清楚这些牺牲会是什么。

That's not to say you shouldn't be asking for more, but expecting a monstrous number out the gate may mean you have to give up other parts of your lifestyle that very few people actually are fully aware of what those sacrifices will be.

你觉得要求加薪的最佳方式是什么？

What do you think the best way is to ask for a raise?

带着证据来，梅尔。

Come with receipts, Mel.

我们要做好准备。

We are coming prepared.

你最好把你已经做的一切都带来。

You better come in with everything that you've already done.

冬天的加薪和晋升是在夏天奠定的。

Winter raises, winter promotions are made in the summer.

年初，我说的是1月、2月，你要确保自己清楚今年的目标。

At the beginning of the year, I'm talking January, February, you make sure that you know what your goal is for the year.

你和老板坐下来谈。

You sit down with your boss.

你设定一些目标。

You set some goals.

然后大概在六月、七月的时候再回顾一下。

You're gonna revisit them in a j month, like June, July.

好。

Cool.

所以你有大约六个月的时间。

So you got about six months.

到了夏天，你就可以说，嘿，Mel，记得年初的时候我们讨论过今年要给我设定目标。

In the summer, you're like, hey, Mel, I know at the beginning of the year, we discussed that we were setting goals for me for this year.

我很高兴地告诉你，我已经完成了X、Y和Z。

I'm happy to report that I've already accomplished x, y, and z.

我想知道，除了这些，你还需要看到我做什么，才能让我在年底有好的机会升职，达到下一个级别，或者获得新的区域。

I would love to know what other things would you need to see from me for me to be in a good position to be promoted at the end of the year, for me to reach the next level of x y z for me to be given a new territory.

好的。

Okay.

我会让我老板你来告诉我。

I'm going to let you as my boss tell me.

我会说，太好了。

I'm going say, great.

我很喜欢这个建议。

I love that suggestion.

我还会重点处理这几件我知道一直让你头疼的事，好帮你减轻点负担。

I'm also going to focus on a couple of these other things that I know have just been a thorn in your side so I can help make your job easier.

太棒了。

Great.

我们撤了。

We leave.

我大获全胜。

I crush it.

好的。

Okay.

六月、七月一直到十月，我们就这么算吧。

June, July through October, we'll call it.

我一直在拼命干活。

I am just grinding.

把所有事情都搞定了。

I get it all done.

然后到了十一月，我带着所有的成果回来。

And then in November, I come back with all of my receipts.

我在收件箱里建了一个叫“成就集”的东西。

I've built something called a brag book in my inbox.

我给它起了个名字。

So I've titled it.

就是个小文件夹。

It's a little folder.

上面写着“成就集2026”之类的。

It says brag book twenty twenty six, whatever.

每次有人祝贺我，或者有人说‘哇，薇薇安太厉害了’的时候。

Anytime someone congratulates me, anytime someone's like, wow, Vivian is amazing.

然后到了十月份，我坐下来跟你说，‘嘿，梅尔，我特别开心。’

Then in October, sit down with you and I'm like, hey, Mel, I'm so happy.

就像，我们今年作为一个团队干得特别棒。

Like, we have done such a great job this year as a team.

一切进展得都非常顺利。

Everything is going been going super well.

我很想给你看几个例子，看看我是怎么实现这些目标的。

I'd love to show you a couple of examples of how I was able to achieve all of these goals.

然后在我展示完我所有的成就和已经搞定的事情之后，我会说，鉴于我带来的帮助和给团队带来的成功，给我加薪多少多少是跟我的表现相匹配的。

And then after I've shown you all of my bells and whistles, all the things I've already crushed, I go, given the amount of assistance, given the amount of success I've been able to bring to the team, a raise of x y z would be commensurate with my performance.

或者，鉴于我已经在这个水平上工作了，升职也是合理的。

Or a promotion makes sense given that I'm already operating at this level.

然后我就不说话了。

Then I shut up.

在我最早的一次谈判中，我做了个特别精彩的陈述，讲我工作有多努力。

In one of my first negotiations, I gave this incredible pitch of how hard I was working.

一切都特别棒。

Everything was amazing.

我提出了加薪的要求，然后我说，但如果不行，也没关系。

I asked for my raise, and then I said, but if not, that's okay.

薇薇安，别说了。

Vivian, stop talking.

你怎么回事？

What is wrong with you?

别说了。

Stop talking.

让你告诉我不行。

Let you tell me no.

我不会对自己说不。

I don't tell myself no.

现在你确实在展示你配得上它。对。

Now you're actually showing that you earned it Yep.

而且你值得被投资。

And that you're worth investing it.

对。

Yep.

这是你的表现。

It's the you show.

这跟别人挣多少没关系。

It's not about what other people are making.

是的。

Yes.

这跟你旁边那个人挣多少也没关系，因为你不能就说，约翰尼告诉我他挣了多少。

It's not about what the person sitting next to you is because you can't just be like, well, Johnny told me they made that.

现在你把约翰尼给卖了。

Now you've snitched on Johnny.

你要展示为什么你配得上这个数字。

You are going to show why you deserve the number.

我觉得这个建议非常棒，我很喜欢那个“成就记录本”的想法。

I think the advice is absolutely fantastic, and I love the idea of the brag book Mhmm.

因为你会忘记。

Because you forget.

你会忘记自己做的所有事情，而且你应该假设你的老板并不完全清楚。

You forget all the things that you're doing, and you should assume that the person that you're working for isn't aware Yep.

你做的所有不同的事情。

Of absolutely all the different things that you're doing.

现在我们来谈谈债务。

Now let's talk about debt.

如果你有好几笔不同的债务，你怎么知道先还哪一笔？

If you have several different sources of debt, how do you know what to pay off first?

债务确实是个人理财中最吓人的话题之一，因为我们把它妖魔化了，好像它是个脏字。

Debt is genuinely one of the biggest, scariest topics in personal finance because we've demonized it like it's a four letter word.

是的，但不是那种四个字母的词。

It is, but not that kind of four letter word.

好的。

Okay.

我们忘记的是，有些债务增长得很快，有些则增长得慢一些。

What we forget is that there are types of debt that compound very quickly and types of debt that compound slower.

对于那些不知道复利是什么意思的人，那是什么意思？

And for the person who doesn't know what compound means, what does that mean?

本质上就像滚雪球。

It's essentially snowballs.

好的。

Okay.

就像，那笔债务有多吓人，增长有多快？

Like, how scary and how growy is that debt?

明白了。

Got it.

长话短说，你可以把它想象成一条数轴。

Long story short, the way you wanna think about it is it's a number line.

好。

K.

你把利率从高到低排个序。

You rank the interest rates from highest to lowest.

所有债务都先还最低还款额，然后任何额外的还款资金都优先还利率最高的那笔债，直到还清为止。

You make the minimum payment across everything, and then any additional debt pay down funds go towards the debt with the highest interest rate until it's done.

然后再处理下一笔。

Then you move on to the next thing.

然后再处理下一笔。

Then you move on to the next thing.

然后再处理下一笔。

Then you move on to the next thing.

这就叫雪崩法。

And that is called the avalanche method.

这是从数学角度最划算的还债方式，因为你付的利息最少，而且能在最短时间内还清债务。

It is the most mathematically advantageous way to pay down your debt because you will spend the least in interest and get your debt paid down in the shortest possible window.

太棒了。

Amazing.

雪崩法。

The avalanche method.

如果现在听节目的人刚收到一张账单，嗯。

If the person listening right now just got hit with a bill Mhmm.

因为这种事经常发生，尤其是医疗账单。

Because this happens to people, especially medical bills.

关于怎么应对，你有什么建议？

What is your advice about how to fight it?

好的。

Okay.

在跟医疗账单较劲之前，我们先看看它是不是对的。

So before we even fight the medical bill, let's see if it's even right.

这数据太糟糕了。

Bad stat.

百分之八十的医疗账单都有错误。

Eighty percent of medical bills have errors in them.

百分之八十？

Eighty percent?

八零。

Eight zero.

所以首先，我会说，你要做的第一件事就是要求一份明细账单。

So first, I would say, first thing you do is make sure that you are asking for an itemized bill.

你要看清楚他们每一项收费，而不是只看最后那个总数。

You want to see every single thing they're charging, not just the number at the end.

告诉我你们对我做了什么。

Tell me everything that you did to me.

然后我会说，看看这个收费是否合理。

Then I would say check to see if that's fair.

现在网上有一些工具，比如Fair Health consumer，你可以去查一下，比如拍个X光片正常要花多少钱。

There are tools online now like a Fair Health consumer that you can go and check to be like, what is a normal cost for an x-ray?

然后接下来，你要打电话，不要发邮件。

So then after that, you're going to call, not email.

顺便说一句，发邮件的话他们根本不会理你。

They will ghost you, by the way.

你要给你去过的那家医院打电话，就是你去看急诊的那家，然后说，嘿，我想跟你们讨论一下这个账单。

You want to call the hospital that you went and you went to the emergency department and you're like, hey, I would like to have a discussion about this.

比如减免、救助计划、慈善医疗，这些我能不能申请？

Like, waivers, relief programs, charity care, what is available to me?

然后，我想让你说，其实我很想全额付清这笔账单，但我没办法一下子付完。

From there, I want you to say, I'd actually really be interested in paying this bill in full, but I'm not gonna be able to do the whole thing.

如果我今天能付清的话，有没有什么折扣可以给我？

Would there be any sort of discount available if I can get that paid today?

这样他们就知道他们真的能收到钱了。

Then they know they're actually getting some money.

这些方法在没有保险的情况下也适用。

And this all works if you don't have insurance.

如果你有保险，那些费用通常是预先协商好的。

If you have insurance, those rates are typically pre negotiated.

薇薇安，对于那些听节目但退休储蓄很少的人，你会说什么？

Vivian, what do you say to the person who is listening who has very little money saved for retirement?

也许他们跟我年纪差不多，开始感到非常焦虑。

Maybe they're more my age, And they're starting to get really worried.

或者他们可能刚经历离婚。

Or maybe they've come out of a divorce.

他们正在重新开始，开始担心自己的未来。

And they're starting over, and they're starting to get worried about their future.

你可以赶上来的。

You can catch up.

我觉得从策略上讲，我们必须谈谈如何追赶进度。

I think tactically, we have to talk about catch up.

过了50岁，你就能用到我们其他人没有的东西，叫追加供款。

After you turn 50, you have actual access to something that the rest of us don't called catch up contributions.

你实际上可以多存一些，因为他们希望你，用他们的话说，追上来。

You can actually put more away because they want you to, and I quote, catch up.

这真的就叫追加供款。

That is literally what it's called, catch up contributions.

我需要多少钱

How much money do I

才能退休？

need to retire?

人们根本不知道自己需要多少，也不知道自己真正想要什么。

People have no idea what they actually need and have no idea what they actually want.

所以我建议大家想想自己的“去你的”数字。

So what I like to advise everyone to think about is your f u number.

“去你的”数字。

F u number.

好的。

Okay.

你的

Your

数字，梅尔。

number, Mel.

就是

Of

当然。

course.

对吧？

Okay?

是的。

Yes.

我们之所以叫它“去你的数字”，是因为它真的能给你带来真正的财务自由。

The reason we call it the f u number is because it really is going to give you true financial freedom.

我们希望你的投资收入能取代你的劳动收入。

And we want your money from investments to replace your money from labor.

这样你就再也不用工作了。

So you'll never have to work again.

那我们要怎么做呢？

So how do we do this?

我不知道。

I don't know.

闭上眼睛。

Close your eyes.

我们正在享受一个禅意时刻。

We are having a Zen moment.

我希望每个人都能想象一个完美的一年。

I want everyone to visualize a perfect year.

你住在哪里？

Where do you live?

你的房子是什么样的？

What does your house look like?

你需要养别人吗？

Are you supporting anybody?

也许是你的伴侣。

Maybe it's a partner.

也许是孩子。

Maybe it's kids.

也许是一只可爱的小毛茸茸的宠物。

Maybe it's an adorable furry little pet.

你在旅行吗？

Are you traveling?

有没有什么花钱的地方？

Are there things you are spending on?

你平时出去吃饭的情况怎么样？

What does your dining out situation look like?

你开什么车？

What kind of car do you drive?

想象一下你理想中的小世界。

Envision your perfect little universe.

现在睁开眼睛。

Now open your eyes.

这个问题有点难。

And this is a hard question.

你觉得在那个理想的小世界里，完美的一年要花多少钱？

What do you think one perfect year in that perfect little universe would cost you?

那就是你完美一年的数字。

That is your perfect year number.

明白吗？

Okay?

我们要用这个数字除以0.04。

We are gonna take this number and we are going to divide it by 0 point 04.

你会得到一个更大的数字。

You're going to get a bigger number.

好的。

Okay.

人们以为你会得到一个更小的数字。

People think you're gonna get a smaller number.

你会得到一个更大的数字。

You're gonna get a bigger number.

好的。

Okay.

这就是你需要投资的钱数，才能过上这样的生活。

That is the amount of dollars you would need to have invested for you to have this life.

所以如果你

So if you

有一百万美元的存款，对。

had a million dollars in savings Mhmm.

4%的利息是多少？

What is 4% interest?

那是4万美元吗？

Is that $40,000?

没错。

That is correct.

嗯，这样一算就清楚了。

Well, that kinda puts it in perspective.

我不想让大家太紧张。

And I don't want people to freak out.

对。

Yep.

因为我们要记住，退休后我们通常会得到更多的帮助。

Because we have to remember that in retirement, oftentimes, we are getting more assistance.

有社会保障金。

There is Social Security.

还有医疗保险。

There is Medicare.

所以你可能不一定需要那么多钱就能过上幸福的生活，但这是一个很好的起点，让我们开始计算我们想要达到的目标。

And so you may not necessarily need as much to be able to live that happily ever after, but this is a good jump off point for us to start calculating where we're trying to get to.

非常感谢你的分享。

Thank you so much for sharing that.

我不想打断你。

I hate to interrupt.

我还有很多问题想和你深入探讨，但我得给我们的赞助商一个机会说几句话。

I have so many more things I wanna dig into with you, but I have to give our sponsors a chance to share a few words.

如果薇薇安分享的内容对你有帮助，或者你想到生活中有人真的需要这种既严厉又实用的建议，那么这是可以发给他们的完美免费资源。

If what Vivian is sharing with you is helping you or you're thinking about somebody in your life who really could use both the tough love and the tactics, this is the perfect free resource to send to them.

别走开。

Don't go anywhere.

这是你的节目。

It's the you show.

这不是关于别人赚多少钱的问题。

It's not about what other people are making.

也不是关于你旁边那个人赚多少，因为你不能就说，哦，约翰尼告诉我他赚了多少。

It's not about what the person sitting next to you is because you can't just be like, well, Johnny told me they made that.

现在你把约翰尼给卖了。

Now you've snitched on Johnny.

你要展示为什么你配得上这个数字。

You are going to show why you deserve the number.

欢迎回来，我是你的朋友梅尔·罗宾斯。

Welcome back at your friend Mel Robbins.

今天，你和我一起向薇薇安·图学习，她教你如何不再月光，以及现在该怎么做。

Today, you and I are learning from Vivian Tu, and she is teaching you how to stop living paycheck to paycheck and what to do right now.

薇薇安，这是我想聊的下一件事。

Vivian, this is the next thing I want to talk about.

跟我聊聊

Talk to me about

夹心一代。

the sandwich generation.

所以现在很多人都有这种被夹在中间的感觉。

So a lot of us these days are feeling sandwiched.

我们开始组建自己的家庭，有伴侣、有孩子。

We are starting to build our own families, our partners, our kids.

与此同时，父母却跑来跟我们说，他们的退休金不够用。

All the while, our parents are actually coming to us and saying, we are underfunded for retirement.

所以你不仅要支撑自己的小家庭，还要照顾你成长的那个家，压力真的很大。

And so not only are you supporting your family unit, you are also then supporting the family unit you grew up with, and you're feeling a lot of that pressure.

我觉得我最想鼓励大家做的一件事，就是跟父母好好聊聊他们的退休储蓄情况。

And I think the number one thing I encourage everybody listening to do is have the conversation with your parents about their retirement funding.

如果父母退休金准备不足，现在知道总比以后知道好，这样你还能帮他们规划一下怎么存钱，让他们以后有保障，也可以帮他们考虑是不是要换个小点的房子，还有其他各种选择，趁现在还有时间和余地，把这些事情都安排好。

If your parents are behind on retirement, it is better to know now so that you can help them set up contributions that are going to then support them so that you can help them potentially think about downsizing their home so you can think about all the other options and pull those levers now when you still have that runway.

那给我说说，这段对话该怎么开头？

So give me the opening line of this conversation.

我会说类似这样的话：你知道我一直都在这里支持你、帮助你。

I would say something along the lines of, you know that I'm always here to support and help you.

我想提前处理这个问题，因为很多人退休资金都不够，我不想让你受苦。

I wanna get ahead of this because so many people are underfunded for retirement, and I have no intention of letting you suffer.

但为了帮你达到目标，我们必须一起努力。

But for me to help you get you to where you need to be, we gotta do it together.

所以，我们坐下来好好谈谈吧。

So let's sit down and talk about it.

这是确保你得到应得退休生活的第一步。

This is the first step that we need to take to make sure that you get the retirement you deserve.

我喜欢这个说法。

I love that.

如果你对“投资”这个词感到害怕，对。

So if you're intimidated by the word investing Mhmm.

你会怎么解释它？

How would you explain it

给那些觉得自己不够聪明、理解不了的人，你会怎么解释？

to somebody who doesn't think they're smart enough to understand it?

如果每个月只能多拿出几块钱来投资，你会从哪里开始？

And where do you start if you can only have a few extra dollars every month to do it?

你通过劳动辛苦赚钱，不管是脑力劳动、体力劳动，还是别的什么。

You work hard for your money through labor, whether that be mental labor, physical labor, whatever.

你的钱也可以为你工作。

Your money can also work for you.

其实，我们人类在赚钱方面真的很不擅长，因为你一天最多只能工作十四、十五、十六个小时。

We as human beings are really bad actually at making money because you can work maximum fourteen, fifteen, sixteen hours a day.

到一定程度，你还是得睡觉。

At a certain point, you still need to get sleep.

你得吃饭。

You need to eat food.

你是人。

You are a human.

不管你能赚多少钱，你都不是一台好的赚钱机器。

You are not a good money making machine no matter how much money you make.

你知道什么才是更好的赚钱机器吗？

You know what's a better money making machine?

你的钱。

Your money.

你的钱是二十四小时、一周七天都在工作的。

Your money works twenty four seven.

它不需要午休。

It doesn't take a lunch break.

它不需要节假日或休假。

It doesn't need holidays or vacations off.

它日复一日、全天候地工作，而且它确实能做到。

It is working day in, day out twenty four seven, and it can.

好的。

Okay.

太好了。

Great.

因为我想看看能不能把这个概念讲给你听，对。

Because I I wanna see if I can give this back to you Yeah.

用一种让那些一直对投资感到害怕的人也能真正理解的方式。

In a way that somebody who has always been intimidated by this idea of investing can really grasp.

我们之前聊过这个，我个人觉得挺有帮助的。

So we've talked about, which I find personally helpful.

现在的你要开始用未来赚到的钱来支付，而未来的你则用储蓄来支付。

Broke you is gonna start paying from the money that comes in the future rich you in the savings.

这就像是你用来建立缓冲的小基金。

This is like your little fund that creates the buffer.

这就像是你开始用来摆脱现状的钱。

This is like the money you're gonna start to use to climb out of where you are.

投资就是让未来的你，把储蓄账户里的钱拿出来，让它去工作。

Investing is where the rich you takes that savings account and takes the money that's in there and puts it to work.

对。

Yep.

没错。

Exactly.

明白了。

Got it.

对。

Yep.

好的。

Okay.

那我们该怎么开始呢？

So how do we start?

首先，我想先做个区分。

So first off, I wanna make a distinction.

好的。

Okay.

储蓄和投资不是一回事。

Saving and investing are not the same thing.

它们不是同一种行为，也不应该被同等对待。

They are not the same action and should not be treated the same.

今天，你是在为有钱的你支付储蓄的代价。

Today, you is paying Rich You for savings.

所以，你储蓄是为了有缓冲，这样你就有力量和自由去离开，是的。

So that's what you save to have the buffer so you have power and freedom to leave Yep.

或者应对紧急情况，是的。

Or to deal with an emergency Yep.

而且这样你晚上能睡得安稳。

And so that you can sleep at night.

没错。

Correct.

要真正开始投资，你首先需要找到一家券商。

What you need to do to actually start investing is first, you need to find a brokerage.

好的。

Okay.

然后你就可以选择账户类型了。

So you then are able to choose an account type.

比如可能是罗斯IRA，或者传统IRA。

So maybe this is a Roth IRA, an IRA.

也可能就是一个普通的个人经纪账户。

This could just be a traditional individual brokerage account.

这些不同类型的账户，有些有不同的好处。

These different types of accounts, some have different benefits.

好的。

Okay.

其他的更传统、更普通，税收优惠没那么多，但绝对值得使用。

Others are more classic general, not as many tax benefits, but still definitely worth using.

你会根据你的投资目标来做决定。

You will make the decision based on what you are investing for.

如果是为退休做准备，那退休账户可能比较合适。

If it's for retirement, a retirement account might make sense.

如果是想着，嘿，我就是想投资个二十、二十五年。

If it's for, hey, I just want to invest for the next twenty, twenty five years.

这不是为了退休。

This is not for retirement.

很好。

Great.

那个人经纪账户可能比较合适。

And an individual brokerage account might make sense.

选好账户类型后，你就开户，然后从支票账户或者储蓄账户里转钱进去。

Then once you choose the account type, you open the account and you contribute dollars from a checking account or maybe even a savings account.

好的。

Okay.

你就是在用现金给账户注资。

You're funding the account with the cash.

这就是人们容易搞砸的地方。

This is where people get messed up.

他们把现金放进账户，然后觉得，完事了。

They put the cash in the account and they're like, I'm done.

不，你还没完。

No, you're not.

你甚至什么都没买。

You have not even bought anything.

现在账户里只是现金而已。

It's just cash in an account right now.

好的。

Okay.

所以你已经开了账户。

So you've opened the account.

你实际上还得把钱投到基金里。

You actually have to put the money into a fund.

对。

Correct.

你实际上必须选择投资。

You have to actually, have to choose investments.

所以你不能只是把钱存进账户。

So like you can't just put cash into an account.

你还得用那些钱去买东西。

You have to then use that cash to buy stuff.

好。

Okay.

好。

Okay.

就像你去杂货店，钱包里有现金，你不会在杂货店里转一圈，然后回家打开冰箱说，我的食物呢？

In the same way that you go to the grocery store and you have cash in your wallet, you're not going to do a hot lap around the grocery store, go home, open the fridge and be like, where's my food?

你什么都没买。

You didn't buy anything.

你得真的去买肉、奶酪和面包。

You have to actually buy meats and cheeses and breads.

明白了。

Gotcha.

好的。

Okay.

所以你可以这样做，然后说，嘿，我对投资感兴趣。

So what you can do there is then say, hey, I'm interested in investing.

我真的想专注于整个股市，因为我不想非得去挑个股。

I really want to focus on the overall stock market because I don't want to have to cherry pick.

找一个能让你接触到很多不同东西的投资方式。

Get into something that allows you to have exposure to a lot of things.

这叫做分散投资。

This is called diversification.

基本上

Basically

降低风险，没错。

mitigating the risk Correct.

避免选错股票，没错。

Of picking the wrong stock Correct.

通过购买投资整个市场的基金来实现。

By buying a fund that invests in the whole thing.

对。

Yep.

什么都投。

Invest in everything.

好的。

Okay.

估计现在听的人里，有一部分人已经开始犯困了。

There is a constituency of folks who are probably listening to this.

眼神都开始发直了。

And their eyes are starting to glaze.

他们可能会想，她到底在说什么？

And they're like, what the hell is she saying?

我还是不知道怎么投资。

I still don't know how to invest.

他们聊了十分钟，我还是没听懂。

They've been yapping for ten minutes and I still don't get it.

好吧，行。

Okay, fine.

那我就给你们一个捷径。

I will give you the cheat code.

这个捷径就是，现在科技这么发达，你根本不用自己去选投资标的。

The cheat code is now because we have such incredible technology, you don't actually have to go and pick your own investments.

你可以注册一个叫智能投顾的东西，四十五分钟就能搞定。

You can sign up for something called a robo advisor, and this can be done in forty five minutes.

你注册这个智能投顾。

You sign up for this robo advisor.

你选择账户类型。

You pick the account type.

它会问你一堆问题。

It's going ask you a bunch of questions.

比如，嘿，梅尔，你每年赚多少钱？

Things like, hey, Mel, how much do you make every year?

你有多少存款？

How much do you have?

你有多少债务？

How much debt do you have?

如果你的投资组合亏了这么多钱，你会有什么感觉？

How would you feel if your portfolio lost this much money?

你打算什么时候退休？

When do you plan on retiring?

这些都是关于你的信息。

All this stuff about you.

明白吗？

Okay?

然后它会根据你的情况给你推荐一个合适的投资组合。

And then it is going to provide you a portfolio that makes sense for you.

这个过程你可能会付一点小费用，但我宁愿大家用机器人顾问，付这点小钱，先把钱投进去，也不要说“我周末再研究研究，自己弄”。

You're going to pay likely a small fee for this to happen, but I would rather someone use a robo advisor and pay that small fee and be invested now than say, I'll figure it out this weekend and do it myself.

那要是担心亏钱怎么办？

What if you're worried about losing the money?

我是说，市场看起来太疯狂了。

I mean, the market seems crazy.

感觉整个世界都乱套了。

Like, the world seems crazy.

我是现在就入场呢？

Like, do I jump it now?

还是等市场崩了再说？

Do I wait for things to crash?

比如说，你是想把握时机，还是就只是先种下种子？

Like, trying to get a sense of timing, or do you just you're just planting seeds?

我其实是一个非常典型的买入并持有型投资者。

I am very much a buy and hold investor.

种下种子的那天，不是收获果实的那天。

The day you plant the seed is not the day you eat the fruit.

对吧？

Okay?

如果你现在在租房，嗯。

If you're currently renting Uh-huh.

而且你一直梦想拥有自己的房子，是的。

And you've always dreamt of owning a home Yep.

现在你可能会想，由于房价高得离谱，尤其是在美国和全球范围内房价上涨，我可能永远都买不起房了。

And now you're thinking, based on the insane costs and the rise in the housing market, particularly here in The United States and around the world, I may never be able to buy a home.

你需要知道些什么呢？

What do you need to know?

买房

Buying a home

对我们很多人来说，仍然是美国梦的核心。

for so many of us is still so core to that American dream.

它仍然是成功的关键。

It is still so core to success.

如果你想要一套房子，我觉得你完全有权利拥有它。

And if you want a home, I think you should have every right to get one.

但我想先问你，你为什么想要一套房子？

But I ask you first, why do you want a home?

是因为你确定自己选对了地方，并且打算至少在那里住上五到七年吗？

Do you want a home because you know you're in the right place and you plan on living there for at least five to seven years, at least.

你不会为了其他工作机会去别的城市。

You don't want to go to a different city for any other job opportunities.

是因为你想把那个房子变成自己的家，做很多装修来让它符合自己的风格吗？

Is it because you want to make that house your home and do a bunch of renovations to personalize it to yourself?

这些都是很好的理由。

These are all good reasons.

但如果你是那种觉得，哎呀，我讨厌凌晨两点还得自己修马桶的人。

But if you are someone who's like, well, I hate having to fix my own toilet at 2AM.

而且我也讨厌交业主协会费。

And I also hate the idea of paying a homeowner's association fee.

我也讨厌交房产税。

And I also hate the idea of paying property taxes.

我也讨厌被困在一个地方的感觉。

And I also hate the idea of being stuck somewhere.

而且，顺便说一句，我可能一两年内想扩大家庭。

And, by the way, I might be in the market to expand my family in the next year or two.

也许现在不是买房的好时机。

Maybe it's not the right time to buy.

当你把买房看作一种生活方式的选择时，这个问题问得非常好。

That is the perfect question when you're looking at home ownership as a lifestyle decision.

你知道吗，当你问自己，我为什么想要一个家？

You know, when you ask yourself, why do I want a home?

你基本上是在让自己停下来想，等等，为什么我现在想要一个家？

You're basically making yourself go, wait, why do I want a home right now?

这合理吗？

And does this make sense?

比如，我是不是打算在一个地方长期待下去？

Like am I gonna stay somewhere for a long time?

我真的能负担得起维护一个家的所有费用吗？

Can I actually afford what it's going to take to keep a home up?

因为如果你经常搬家，或者买房和养房的成本太高，那也许现在不是合适的时机。

Because if you're gonna be moving around a lot, or it's way too expensive for you to both buy it and then maintain it, maybe now is not the right time.

这应该是一个基于你个人情况的生活方式决定，而不是因为你觉得父母或朋友都买了，所以你也该买了。

That's a lifestyle decision that then becomes personal to you instead of chasing it because you think you should buy it by now because your parents did or your friends are.

但我们也不能忽视一个事实，至少在美国，买房和拥有房产是人们积累代际财富最重要的方式之一，因为它迫使你储蓄。

But let's not ignore the truth that at least in The United States, buying a home and home ownership is one of the most important ways that people build generational wealth because it forces you to save.

还有一件事大家容易忽略，就是总有一天，你希望不用再付房租。

And then the other thing that people forget is at some point, you wanna be able to not have to pay rent.

所以如果你退休后一直不买房，那你就得一直付房租，而这部分开销现在就得算进你的退休储蓄计划里。

So if you're never gonna buy a home in retirement, you're gonna have to pay rent, and that's gonna be part of the retirement savings that you need to do now.

所以我觉得这个问题很重要，但我想确保你是基于生活方式来回答，同时也要把事实摆在眼前——从长远来看，这是你能拥有的最重要的资产之一，而且它还能逼着你存钱。

And so I think the question is important, but I just wanna make sure that you're answering it based on lifestyle, but you're also keeping the facts in front of you, which this is one of the most important assets that you could have in the long term, and it also forces you to save.

没错。

Correct.

对于那些确定想买房的人来说，你得有点创意。

As for folks who are sure they want to buy, you need to get creative.

明白吗？

Okay?

因为现在确实是这样。

Because right now, it is true.

在几乎所有大城市，租房都比买房便宜。

In almost all major metros, it is cheaper to rent than buy.

现在买房确实很难。

Buying a house is hard right now.

咱们别假装不是这样。

Let's not pretend like it's not.

人们需要开始思考，我是否需要买我的主要住所？

People need to start thinking, do I need to buy my primary home?

我认识一个人，他在洛杉矶买不起自己的主要住所，但他是在俄克拉荷马州长大的，家人也在那里，最后他在俄克拉荷马州买了一套投资房产。

I know someone who actually cannot afford to own their primary residence in Los Angeles, but he grew up in Oklahoma and has family there and ended up buying an investment property in Oklahoma.

他能在生活成本较低的地区负担得起房贷，而且他选择租房。

He can afford the mortgage in a lower cost of living area, and he rents.

因为在洛杉矶，租房比买房划算得多。

Because in LA, he's gonna get a lot more with rental dollars than buying dollars.

另一个选择是。

Another option.

让我们考虑一下那些特殊的抵押贷款。

Let's think about those unique mortgages.

大家都以为买房得付两成首付。

Everybody thinks you got to put 20% down.

我觉得这成了常态，因为这样能让每月的还款压力变得非常可控。

I think that is the norm because then it helps to make the monthly payment very, very manageable.

但如果你手头积蓄不多，又想在房价涨到自己买不起之前赶紧上车，而且工作稳定、觉得每月的月供还能承担得起……

But if you're someone who just doesn't have a lot saved, you're trying to get into a neighborhood before you're priced out of the neighborhood and you have a good job that you can count on and you think you can make decent monthly payments.

那 FHA 贷款怎么样？

What about an FHA loan?

那常规97贷款呢？

What about a conventional 97?

这些都是不同类型的抵押贷款，要么在信用分较低时帮到你，要么因为信用分高而给你一些优惠或奖励。

These are all different types of mortgages that either help you if you have a low credit score or basically give you a little prize, a little treat for having a high credit score.

如果在农村买房，可以考虑USDA贷款吗？

What about if you're buying in a rural area, a USDA loan?

对于听节目的退伍军人来说，VA贷款是最好的选择。

For our veterans listening, there is nothing better than a VA loan.

你一分钱都不用付。

You put nothing down.

你也不需要付PMI来给那个贷款上保险。

You don't need to pay PMI to essentially insure that mortgage.

那是最好的选择。

That is the best possible option.

但我觉得大家对这些东西讨论得不够多。

But I think people don't talk about those things enough.

我希望你能直接对正在听的人说，他们二十多岁。

I would love to have you speak directly to the person who is listening and they're in their twenties.

他们做了所有被要求做的事，但还是无法前进。

They're doing everything that they were told to do, but they still can't get ahead.

很糟糕，对吧？

Sucks, doesn't it?

我觉得我们很多人被灌输了一个承诺和梦想，只要我们埋头苦干，上了好学校，找到好工作，最终就能过上幸福的生活。

I think a lot of us were sold a promise and a dream that if we put our heads down, if we worked hard, that we went to the right school and we got the right job, we'd eventually get to have happily ever after.

看起来好像不一定是这样。

It's kind of looking like that's not necessarily true.

新的美国梦看起来没什么固定的样子。

The new American dream doesn't look like anything.

它就是你闭上眼睛想让它成为什么，它就是什么。

It's whatever you close your eyes and want it to be.

它不是关于已经发生的事情。

It's not about what has already happened.

而是关于你今天能做什么，让明天变得不同。

It's about what can you do today to make tomorrow different.

如果你现在五十多岁或六十多岁，这正是你需要听到的答案。是的。

That's the same answer you need to hear right now if you're in your fifties or sixties Yeah.

而且你正在重新开始。

And you're starting over.

或者你正在应对离婚后的挫折，或者健康诊断。

Or you are dealing with a setback after divorce, or a health diagnosis

百分之百。

A thousand percent.

你必须接受它。

You have to take it.

确实，生活不公平，这很糟糕，但你可以做点什么来改变未来的结局。

Like, it it is true that life is not fair, and it sucks, and you can do something next that changes where you end up in the future.

你想对那些回到家和父母一起住的人说些什么？

What do you want to say to the person who is back home living with their parents?

根据美联储的数据，近一半的30岁美国人跟父母住在一起，作为父母，我觉得这挺酷的。

Nearly half of all Americans 30 live with a parent according to the Federal Reserve data, which as a parent, I think is cool.

我知道，作为一个曾经期望你会在别处的人，也许这感觉没那么酷。

I know as a person who had a vision that you would be somewhere else, maybe it doesn't feel that cool.

我会说你是天才。

I would say you're a genius.

而且，首先，你应该去拥抱你的监护人、父母或任何人，亲他们一下，说声谢谢。

Like, and one, you should go kiss and hug your guardians or parents or whatever and say thank you.

因为如果你能搬回家住，你已经拥有了一种人们不常提到的代际财富。

Because if you are able to move back home, you already have a level of generational wealth that people don't talk about.

人们以为代际财富就是，我死后留给梅尔一百万美元。

People think generational wealth is, I am bequeathing Mel a million dollars when I pass.

不不不。

No, no, no.

代际财富是你能搬回家住，这相当于免费的托儿服务。

Generational wealth is you can move home is anti daycare.

我会帮你带孩子，或者别担心，爷爷奶奶不怎么用车。

I'm going to take care of your kid or don't worry, Nana and Papa don't use the car as much.

别担心，梅尔。

Don't worry, Mel.

你可以开那辆车。

You can drive it.

这才是代际财富。

That's generational wealth.

所以我觉得如果你现在还住家里，那你的处境真的很不错。

And so I think if you are currently living at home, you have a sweet setup.

我希望大家能去做几件事。

What I ask is for you to do a couple things.

第一，把你原本要交房租的钱省下来，留给自己。

One, the money that you would have spent on rent, Put it aside for yourself.

给未来的自己多存点钱。

Pay future rich you.

第二，设定一个搬出去时的存款目标数字，而不是一个具体的搬出日期。

Two, set a move out number, not a move out date.

不要给自己定一个根本做不到、或者做到了也会让你感到不舒服的时间表。

Do not put yourself on a timeline that you cannot hit and actually be comfortable.

在你攒够那个需要的数字之前，别急着搬出去。

You don't move out until you have the number you need.

第三，利用这个机会，把你现有的所有财务优势都发挥到最大。

And three, use this as an opportunity to maximize all of the financial advantages you have.

所以，如果你住在父母家，不用付房租或者付得很少，那你就应该把更多的钱存进你的401k，更多的钱存进罗斯IRA。

So that means if you are paying no rent or less rent to live at home with your parents, you should be putting more money into your four zero one k, more money into that Roth IRA.

我特别喜欢你把搬回家和父母住称为新一代的财富传承，因为我们有个孩子刚搬回家。

I absolutely love that you called moving home with your parents the new generational wealth because one of our kids just moved home.

我把它看作一个巨大的机会和跳板，让你为下一阶段做好准备。

And I see it as an enormous opportunity and launching pad to set yourself up for the next chapter.

太棒了。

Huge.

因为你不希望搬出去之后，把财务基础建立在沙子上。

Because you don't wanna move out and then build your financial foundation on sand.

你要把财务基础建立在砖头上。

You wanna build that financial foundation on brick.

我真的很喜欢这是新一代的财富传承，把它看作一个有力的举动，是的。

I just absolutely love that this is the new generational wealth and looking at it as a power move Yeah.

而不是看作你的生活出了问题。

Versus something that means your life isn't working.