If You Want To Change The World, Start With Your Finances

“As we peer into society’s future, we — you and I, and our government — must avoid the impulse to live only for today, plundering for our own ease and convenience the precious resources of tomorrow. We cannot mortgage the material assets of our grandchildren without risking the loss also of their political and spiritual heritage. We want democracy to survive for all generations to come, not to become the insolvent phantom of tomorrow.” — Dwight Eisenhower

I I don’t hide the fact that I’m economically progressive. I’m fine paying my fair share of taxes. I’m grateful to live in a country with universal healthcare. And I’ll sleep just fine if major corporations suddenly had to pay higher taxes.

While I’d like to consider myself a principled person, I’ll admit that I often neglect to think about how spending and managing my money could be in more in line with my values. For the longest time I parked my money in a major bank, bought cheap clothes at places like H&M and Forever 21, and made financial decisions that saved me the most money.

But, as you know, what’s convenient or lucrative doesn’t always coincide with your principles. And betraying your principles for the sake of money is hardly a way to live.