Scared to look at your finances?

When you hear a strange noise coming from your car, do you:

1. Drive straight to the mechanic
2. Take it home to do some diagnostics on your own
3. Turn up the music and pretend it never happened

If you answered c, I’m curious if you deal with your finances the same way. Do you take the ‘ignorance is bliss’ or ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ approach? Unfortunately, many people do. 

I met with a couple the other day who, by all accounts, is doing just fine financially, and will actually have a significant amount of money to live the life they want, if they keep doing what they’re doing. But they were putting off meeting with me or looking at their finances in any detail because they believed they didn’t have enough, and were scared to know the truth. When we sat down to have their annual financial plan discussion, I was quickly able to put their minds at ease by showing them that they do, in fact, have enough.

I see this kind of thing all the time. People are scared to lift the hood for fear they’ll confirm their belief that they’re in trouble. But when we sit down together, to review their entire financial situation, including upcoming life changes and eventual dreams, they realize that they’re on the right track, or they know exactly what they need to do to start steering straight. The sigh of relief I see across the table is palpable, and so gratifying. I love helping people remove the weight from their shoulders.

Why do a Financial Check-In

 Regular (no less than annual) check-ins are good for so many reasons:

• Get a full picture of where you’re really at, financially
• Feel more confident about where you’re at, so you can get back to living and enjoying life
• Identify gaps in your plans/dreams vs. your ability to pay for said plans/dreams
• Make changes to realize your plans/dreams

What to do

If you haven’t looked at your full financial picture for a while - I’m talking income, debt, investments, share structures if you own your own business, etc, etc, etc. - set up a meeting with your Financial Planner. If you don’t have one, or aren’t getting the attention you deserve, give me a shout. I’ll help you make sense of it all.

Or, if you’re scared and have been “turning up the music” to avoid the noise because it’s overwhelming, give me a shout. I’m super chill, and a realist, about these things. I’ll help you see things for what they are, explain what you don’t understand, and get you comfortable with asking the right questions and looking in the right places to understand your finances. 

Even if you feel you “should” already know this stuff, and are hesitant to ask for help, get over it. No one can have a strong handle on every part of their life. Successful people surround themselves with others who can expertly advise on the things they aren’t experts in, or don’t care to learn.

The Pay Off

I’m telling you, getting to a point where you feel CALM about money is so freeing. It can quite literally mean the difference between enjoying life and not.