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Is Starbucks a Need or a Want?

Darryl Rosen • Jan 31, 2023
Is the afternoon latte a survival need, or something we want so we can survive?

A common retirement planning budgeting strategy is to break your expenses into 3 categories. Needs, wants and wishes. 
It’s a methodology that closely follows Maslow's hierarchy of needs: survival needs, first, to be followed by safety and emotional needs. Sense of purpose, etc. Most people have seen this. From a retirement planning perspective, the idea is that it’s best to match clearly defined sources of income for your needs and most of your wants. 

I agree but this philosophy should be used with caution. Budgeting through the lens of wants and needs can lead us to belittle important parts of the human experience.

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