There’s no such thing as foolproof advice.
In the era before the internet, if you needed advice on something, you’d usually just ask your friends or family. These days, if you need information, you have a whole planet of people you can source for answers. But when you’re seeking advice on something, whether it’s from the internet or someone you know personally, you should remember to take all advice, and especially financial advice, with a pinch of salt.
Every person on the planet has their own set of ideals and priorities. Some random rich kid online is probably going to have a different perspective on expenditures than a guy who’s had to fight like heck for every penny he’s ever earned. The same goes for people you know personally; your parents grew up in a much different era from you with a different cultural climate and societal expectations. My own parents, being baby boomers, have an assumption that anyone can just buy a house, whereas I, as a millennial, know that’s very much not the case anymore.
Now, I’m not telling you to never take financial advice from anyone except an accredited expert. In fact, I’m saying the exact opposite: you should source financial advice from lots of different people in different situations. In the information age, information is power, so the more information you have about different kinds of financial situations, the better informed you can be about your own.
Incidentally, the irony of this article is not lost on me. Yes, I’m writing financial advice, but as I said, any advice you take from us here should be combined with advice you receive elsewhere. There is no one-size-fits-all solution for your financial woes, so get as much data as you possibly can to come to the most ideal conclusion for you personally.