Money has always been a hot topic in popular music. There are a plethora of songs about making money and just as many songs about spending money, most of them to be honest, offer pretty bad financial advice. After listening to hundreds of songs about money, I am voting these three songs to be top songs with the worst financial advice...maybe ever.

Top 3 Songs with Really Bad Financial Advice

1) Pitbull & Ne Yo – Time of Our Lives

This song is definitely #1 on my list of songs with terrible financial advice. This is literally a song about not making enough money for paying rent, so instead he goes to the club and spends whatever money he did have.

I knew my rent was gon’ be late about a week ago

I worked my a** off, but I still can’t pay it though

But I just got just enough to get up in this club

The problems with this should be fairly obvious. First, why is he going to such an expensive club, one that requires almost a month’s rent to get into? He seems to be trying to live above his means, which is a recipe for financial disaster. It’s best to try to live either at or below what you could actually afford so you’re not in constant financial distress.

And two, there is nothing wrong with enjoying yourself after working hard, but your other financial obligations should be taken care of first and the cost of your fun shouldn’t make you late on your bills. Instant gratification is your worst enemy when it comes to being financially responsible.

Budgeting may not make for an awesome rap song; however this song is an excellent example of why budgeting is so important.

2) Ariana Grande - 7 Rings

There's no doubt Ariana Grande's 7 Rings is a song that's bound to get stuck in your head. It's catchy and brings some hip-hop diva attitude to the classic song "My Favorite Things" from The Sound of Music.  While Ariana may very well be able to afford a lavish lifestyle like the one she describes in her song, the message the songs sends about spending money is very problematic for the average American:

I see it, I like, I want it, I got it

I want it, I got it, I want it, I got it

I want it, I got it, I want it, I got it

You like my hair? Gee, thanks, just bought it

I see it, I like it, I want it, I got it

While this is just the chorus lyrics it easy to see why this song is on our list of the top three songs with the worst financial lessons. Simply buying things because you see them and want them is the dark path to financial disaster. 

One line in the song talks about "retail therapy" which is a common habit people use to deal with stress, however shopping when your emotional is never a good idea, which I wrote about here.

This song also mention's using a credit card (specifically a Black Card) to make these purchases. If not used properly credit cards can cause you a serious amount of financial struggle. Your credit card should really only be used in emergencies or if you are able to pay the balance in full each month to avoid paying high interest rates.  

Overall, this entire song espouses spending copious amounts of money on indulging your every want. While it's certainly okay to make a fun purchase every now and then, it's more important that you think through your purchases and understand the differences between needs and wants, to avoid ending up in massive debt.

3) Chris Janson - Buy Me a Boat

Switching musical genres here, this country song is all about Chris hoping he comes into a windfall and how he will spend it, rather unwisely I might add.

I wish I had a rich uncle that’d kick the bucket

And that I was sitting on a pile like Warren Buffett

I know everybody says money can’t buy happiness

But it could buy me a boat, it could buy me a truck to pull it

It could buy me a Yeti 110 iced down with some silver bullets

We all hope that someday we will come into a large sum of money, that’s why people play the lottery after all. However, there are some serious issues with how he plans to spend this inheritance. Anytime you come into an unexpected sum of money you should consider how you can make more of it, not what you want to spend it on.

Investing the money you get from an inheritance, or using it to pay off debts, is the best financial decision you can make long term. If there is any money left over, then you can think about buying that boat.

In Summary

Now don't get me wrong, I love to jam to these songs as much as the next person, but we all know that while budgeting and investing your money aren’t common themes in popular music, they are very important habits to have.

The theme of instant gratification and living above your means comes up a lot in pop music and these are actually wealth destroying habits, whereas budgeting and investing are wealth building actions. Whether your goal is to be filthy rich, or just financially stable, then it is best not to mimic the behaviors from these three songs, instead start a budget and invest your money.