Financial Education: the Key to Succeeding in Business in 2024

Having good financial habits, such as paying monthly bills on time, not spending more money than you earn, and having the mindset to save and invest, is the challenge that most salaried people or even those who work independently in investments or digital businesses face today. And it’s a challenge because the economy in Latin American countries is increasingly challenging, and culturally, there is no such education.

This is not new; recently, the latest report from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) was released, revealing the countries with the highest financial education and those below average.

Latin American countries had low rankings in the report, which covered 20 economies. Peru, Costa Rica, and Brazil were at the bottom of the list, only ahead of Malaysia, which ranked last. The highest positions were held by the Flemish Community of Belgium, followed by Denmark, some provinces of Canada, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, among others.

“Financial education begins in school; these are habits acquired during the school years, and that’s why the commitment is significant because we need to educate people for the future. Clearly, having financial education will help you become a successful professional, whether working in a company or in business independently,” said Jaime Sánchez, economist and teacher.

For Sánchez, technology plays a crucial role in financial education as it helps to enhance new knowledge and skills to perform in the workforce and even in personal life. “It’s important to take advantage of all the digital content that technology provides us today. A good way to start is by being clear about how much you have and in the same way, how much you should spend,” the teacher added.

Digital Businesses

In today’s world, investing in digital businesses is a great option. We now see hundreds of professionals investing in financial markets that seem easy to access and yield good profits.

However, according to Julián Vargas, a trading coach from Cartagena, Colombia, thinking it’s easy and believing that you’ll earn large sums of money at the start is a serious mistake. “In about 90% of cases, people who start in trading do not have the proper financial education to distribute capital, manage resources, and, above all, understand that it’s not a profession that will get you out of trouble, as some see it. They leave all their jobs or businesses because they don’t like them and dedicate themselves to trading when they don’t have any results yet, maybe because they’ve been trading for just one or two months, and like any beginner, they have beginner’s luck,” Vargas stated.

The financial markets expert explains that in addition to what’s already been mentioned, it’s essential to get educated in financial education. “Trading is a job that you build alongside what you already have, gradually allowing trading to cover your expenses, so you can sustain it over time. In other words, it’s not just about earning money for one or two months, but you’ve been generating income for a year, two years, and you begin to take on more responsibility in trades and investments. This will lead you to want to dedicate yourself 100% to it because you now have the means to do so and the experience to manage the resources—in this case, money. So, it’s crucial to avoid seeing trading as an escape profession, and above all, making it an emotional decision,” he added.

Another point the expert mentions is that in this type of work, it’s vital to learn to read results and be very patient. Good financial education will help you have the tools to interpret charts, wait for the right moments, develop the strategies you’ll implement along the way, and thus achieve responsible results.