Must Read: How Luck Plays A Role In Becoming A Millionaire, How The American Work Day Has Changed

These are the must read stories in personal finance this week.

Why It’s Actually A Good Idea To Strive For Less

We’re all part of a culture and a society in which working and pushing for more and to be the best is often demanded of us. What if we took a few moments to realize what really matters to us and to practice gratitude for what we already have? (Thrive Global)

Identity Economics: Who Are You? And How Does It Affect Your Spending?

JD Roth, author of Get Rich Slowly, was playing video games with his cousin when said cousin asked him a tricky question: who are you? JD reflects upon parts are his life that seem a bit contradictory to each other and takes a look into what makes him … him. And then he looks at his finances and asks the same question. (Get Rich Slowly)

How Luck Plays A Huge Part In Becoming A Millionaire By 40

There are arguments for both sides of it, but Sam thinks that you can only plan so much – part of becoming a millionaire is just luck. Since he’s been a millionaire for awhile and participates in the FIRE movement, he can clearly label what circumstances in his life contributed to his wealth, and how lucky he was in those moments. Let’s not confuse this, however, with the fact that he worked hard to get to this level, though. (Retire by 40)

Here’s How Much Money You’re Losing With Your Regular Savings Account

The average savings account currently makes 0.10% – not a ton of money. There are definitely better ways to grow your savings, with higher rates of interest. Here’s how you can calculate what you’re losing in your current account and what you can do to make up for the discrepancy. (Wise Bread)

7 Money Saving Tips for Packing Lunches

Packing lunches can be a huge money-saver when you have a family or are making lunches for multiple people. Erin Chase knows how to make the most of grocery shopping to provide nutritious, cost-effective meals for everyone you’re supporting. (5 Dollar Dinners)

How Much Student Loan Debt Forgiveness Would Have A Real Impact?

You may have heard that Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren have proposed different student loan cancellation plans during their run for president. Warren’s plan takes a tiered approach in which the amount of money from which an individual would be relieved is dependent upon household income. Sanders wants to just cancel all student debt – period. Taking a closer look into the subject, even if all student loan debt wasn’t forgiven, it looks like relief in the amount of $10k per borrower is really all we need to see a huge impact. Here’s why. (Market Watch)

How The American Work Day Changed In 15 Years

Between 2003 and 2018, a lot has changed (okay, maybe that’s an obvious statement). Think about smart phones – the first iPhone wasn’t released until 2007, and those devices are bricks compared to what we use today. With so much evolving as time goes on and technology develops, it’s not surprising that we spend our days very differently now than we did fifteen years ago. (Flowing Data)

Feature Image: The Money Manual