Wheres my bingo card?
(Upon later reflection, this could be dangerous.)
Its not that Im ungrateful for thoughtful PR pitches and expert insights.
The results were shocking: 57% of those surveyed said theyll spend a full paycheck on holiday-related expenses.
The representative offered me the entire data set to look over, and sent me a detailed Excel workbook.
It only included people who said they would spend at least one paycheck on their holiday expenses.
It wasnt a percentage of the total group.
The portion of people who said theyd spend more than a paycheck on their holiday fun was very small.
And thats a case where I actually saw the raw numbers and got to do my own calculations.
Sometimes all you get is a press release with some bullet points.
Sometimes you get a fluffy, pretty PDF that doesnt tell you much.
Sometimes pitches are about surveys about what peoplethinktheyll do, rather than what theyveactually done.
Just like you have to be discerning about findings from medical studies (Chocolate is good for you!
Wine is good for you!
Chocolate is bad for you!
Were growing horns from looking at our cell phones!
), you have to be critical of the personal finance advice you read, too.
Many academic studies leave researchers with more questions than answers, without a silver bullet to solve a problem.
Until theyvedone it, it doesnt really matter for you.
Would you trust those results?!
Watch for sweeping generalizations
Dont you hate when all millennials get lumped under one assumption?
What about when all baby boomers are categorized the same way?
And where are the sweeping generalizations about Generation X?
(Sorry, Gen X.)
If something is working for you, stay the course.
Maybe lattes should have been the free space.
