“Cat: Where are you going?
Alice: Which way should I go?
Cat: That depends on where you are going.
Alice: I don’t know.
Cat: Then it doesn’t matter which way you go.” – Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland
DOES IT MATTER?
One of the questions that I am often asked in general conversations is “where should I be investing my money now?”.
My answer is always the same.
“That would be hard for me to answer since I do not know what goals you are trying to reach with your money.”
The questioner then follows up with, “well it doesn’t matter, I just wanted to know what you thought was a good investment right now.”
Without having a plan, the odds are high that your future is much like a Financial Zombie!
Are you one? Are you part of a growing population between the ages of 30 to 50 that are living paycheck to paycheck. According to a report from the Consumer Federation of America and the Consumer Planner Board of Standards, Inc., 38% of households live paycheck to paycheck.
IT DOES MATTER!
Investing without a Financial Plan is a recipe for failure, as is having a complex financial plan that is so confusing and detailed that even a Ph.D. cannot succeed.
What you need is a Simple One Page Financial Plan that has a few goals that you can focus on and impact your life. Multitasking of goals is just like multitasking at your desk on a daily basis; you think you are getting stuff accomplished. When in truth if you focus on one thing, then you can see the results and create your future.
3 Steps to Achieving Your Financial Goals
- Where are you Starting? Before you start putting money into the market, ask yourself one question: What exactly are you saving and investing for? Are you like many investors who fail to consider the risk your portfolio holds? Chances are you’ll find yourself making irrational, emotional decisions that negatively impact your personal success. Using our Riskalyze tool, our clients know that we invest their money to meet their Personal Risk Tolerance. Find out your Risk Score now!
- Create a Spending Plan. Whether it is saving for a goal or eliminating debt, having a prepared plan for how you are going to spend your money is the most important key to being successful financially. Savings, whether for retirement or another goal has to come out of your spending FIRST.
- Monitor your overall Financial Health on a periodic basis. Rather than wonder about “How am I doing”, keep track of it. We provide our clients with a weekly email that gives a snapshot of their week over week change. For a deeper look, they log into their Personal Dashboard. Want to know more and have a 30-day trial? Click here for more information or contact us and we will get you started today.
Michael Tannery CPA CDFA® AIF® ● CEO
Registered Principal
Be A Financial Olympian
