Today's LearnVest Daily is dedicated¹ to all the excuses we've ever made for why our finances aren't everything we've dreamed: Our jobs just don't pay enough. Our friends are bad spending influences. We're too deep in debt to ever get out. In response to those, we bring you nine reasons you're broke . . 。

女性个人理财网总是在为女人们的入不敷出寻找各种借口：工资不够；朋友花钱的坏习惯影响了自己；深陷债务泥沼无法自拔。与之相对，我们要告诉你的是：你身为穷人的真正原因。

1.You Put Your Entire Paycheck in Your Checking Account所有收入都存进了活期存款账户

Of course, you should have a checking account, but depositing all your income straight to checking sets you up to overspend and sideline your savings² goals. After all, the money is right there, ripe for the spending, and socking cash away for the future requires transferring it separately to your savings account。

没错，你应该要有自己的活期存款账户，但是把所有收入存入账户里只会让你花费超支，存钱几乎不可能。毕竟，钱存那里了，召唤着你去花它啊！而且为未来存钱也要一点一点来。

A better solution? Set up automatic deposits straight from your paycheck into your various savings accounts. It's called paying yourself first。

有没有更好的解决方法？办理自动划账业务，把钱直接存入你的各种储蓄账户。这叫做先留给自己。

2.You Spend on Stupid Stuff

把钱花在了无用的东西上

We actually think you should spend money . . . on the things that will actually make a difference in your life. Spending on a meaningful vacation or a clothing item that will revolutionize your wardrobe? Totally worthwhile. Spending extra on things like your electricity bill or your medicine cabinet? Totally stupid.Prioritize what matters most to you then cut out the rest of the filler in your budget。

我们认为，钱应该花在可以改变生活的东西上。花钱度过一个有意义的假期，或者买一件衣服改变一下自己的衣柜风格？完全必要。但如果花多余的钱来付自己的电费账单，或者买个医药箱？完全没必要！列出对你而言最重要的东西，然后把预算中多余的东西划掉。

3.You Don't Have Any Goals

目标不明确

You're much likelier to save if you have something to save for, especially if it's something important to you. Get some emotions on the line by thinking of specific reasons you're working so hard at your finances. Are you trying to save up for a house someday? A family? A new car? A much-needed vacation?

如果你打算为某些事情存钱，特别是一些很重要的事情，那么存钱就会很容易。好好想想你努力工作存钱为的是什么。你打算某年某月某天买套房？建立自己的家庭？买辆新车？期待已久的假期？

Put everything in perspective, and give yourself something to work for, by creating a vision board, which you can fill with images and words to illustrate³ your ideal life。

全盘考虑一番，给自己一个工作的理由。创建一个未来规划板，把对未来的美好生活添上去。

4.You're Scared of Your Own Power

对于贫穷的恐惧

Your power to grow your money, that is. Investing may sound like an intimidating⁴ thing meant only for financial gurus, but you're missing out if you're too chicken to jump in. If you invested, then 40 years could turn $1,000 into almost $22,000. Meanwhile, that same $1,000 would leave you with only a little over $2,000 after 40 years if you put it in a savings account with 2 percent interest!

投资—你增加自己金钱的能力，乍听来似乎只为金融家而存在，如果你不敢投资，你就出局了。如果你投资的话，那么，40年的时间可以将1000美元变成22000美元。但是，如果你把同样的1000美元放到银行存起来，每年的利息是2%，那么40年后，你只能获得2000美元的利息。

That's not to say you should start picking random⁵ stocks. We recommend starting out with mutual⁶ funds or exchange-traded funds to make sure you have the most balanced portfolio⁷ to fit your goals。

但这并不是说你可以随便投资股票。在这里，我们推荐你从投资互惠基金或者营业基金开始，这样，你就可以确保投资于目标的平衡。

5.You're Paying Your Debts Wrong

无法正确还债

Even if you're responsibly paying off your debts, you could be keeping yourself down if you're paying them in the wrong order。

还债是你的义务，这没有错，但是如果你没有正确的还债，只会让自己生活低下了。

Don't divide your payments equally among all debts, like credit card debt or your student loans. Those with the highest interest rates grow fastest, so focus on the most toxic⁸ debts first。