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In the era of the internet, myths and misinformation travel at the speed of light. Maybe that’s why there’s so much incorrect data floating around these days. All it takes is for a popular blogger or social media influencer to make a misstatement, and within minutes, the falsehood has traveled around the world. Others repeat it as fact, and millions of readers absorb the myth as if it’s the gospel truth. While the same thing happened before the dawn of the digital age, the speed of transmission was considerably slower.
What are the most widespread lifestyle myths this year?
The list is a long one, but the biggest offenders include urban legends and incorrect statements about careers, how to pay for vacations, personal loans, retirement, health, home ownership, and the cost of international travel. Here’s more about each one, along with appropriate corrections.
Changing Careers is a Mistake
Millions of working adults transition to new careers every year. The old-school theory about careers was that you choose one thing and stick with it for life.
In the mid-1900s, few switched vocational gears after the age of 30. If they did, employers were reluctant to hire them or trust them to remain in their new jobs. Managers even invented a derogatory term, job hoppers, to describe individuals who had the effrontery to change their minds about the course of their professional lives.
Today, countless working people choose new career paths when they become unhappy with what they’re currently doing. Not only is it, not a mistake, but finding a new line of work can contribute to long-term psychological well-being and personal fulfillment.
It’s Best to Dip Into Savings to Pay For a Vacation
Personal loans make more sense for financing vacations and other ventures. One of the all-time worst ideas is eating into a savings account to pay for things like trips, big-ticket appliances, and expensive gifts.
The wise choice is what millions of consumers do every day: taking out personal loans.
For a traditional two-week summer vacation, the smart way to pay is with a personal loan. That way, you can spread out the expense over several years or months. If you take the time to shop around for reputable lenders who offer reasonable interest rates and terms, taking a vacation doesn’t have to do serious damage to your long-term savings account.
Social Security Will Be Enough For Retirement
Few retired people can live on their Social Security income.
Social Security payments are intended to be a supplement to income for retirees. The original intent of the program was never to serve as the sole source of financial sustenance for oldsters.
Unfortunately, many young adults in the 2020s are under the impression that the payments will suffice for their retirement years. There’s even a question about the long-term solvency of the Social Security trust fund, which finances the payments to retired and disabled workers and their dependents.
The obvious remedy is for working adults to build their own retirement plans along the lines of an IRA (individual retirement arrangement) or 401(k), which is an employer-sponsored plan.
If I Feel Good, Then My Health is Okay
It’s all over the news that there is a need to repair the healthcare system in America and that alone can force people to ignore their personal health. Additionally, many illnesses have few or no symptoms. See a doctor to find out your health status.
Feeling good is an indication that your health is probably okay. The problem is that it takes a licensed physician to give you a definitive report about the true state of your wellness.
Many conditions, like high blood pressure, various kinds of cancer, high cholesterol, and kidney disease, can be present in a person’s body with few or no outward symptoms. Whether you feel great or not so great, visit a doctor regularly for full-scale checkups.
International Travel is Prohibitively Costly
Traveling to South America or Europe can be much cheaper than people suspect. Air tickets and all-in-one tour package deals go through pricing cycles.
While it’s hard to predict what next year’s or next month’s hot deals will be, most vacationers can snag low-cost tickets to European and South American destinations.
There are two tactics that work best.
First, book more than 60 days in advance and be willing to fly during non-busy times, like very late at night during the week. Second, join a group through your church or workplace.
Group members on a typical two-week excursion to Ireland pay about half the individual rate for airfare and lodging. The price of airline tickets is more a function of demand than distance. That’s why many domestic flights cost more than a New York to Paris fare.
For cruise enthusiasts, buying standby tickets is one way to slash prices by more than 50%. Contact the cruise lines and tell them you want to be put on the standby list for a particular trip. They’ll contact you when there’s an opening.
