There’s Never a Good Time to Get Gas

I never feel pumped to get a gas fill up for my car. I’m always in a hurry or tired or it’s unpleasantly cold or rainy outside.

But I also don’t like it when the light goes on with the dire warning that I’m running on fumes.

It’s also like this about personal financial planning. There’s never a good time to straighten up the mess of your financial affairs. It takes energy and gumption to deal with the reality and the complicated forms and ideas that determine your financial fate.

But if you don’t do it, just as if you don’t get gas, dire consequences await.

Your financial affairs may be complex and daunting but you don’t have to do everything at once. It’s better to start small than not at all.

And it’s better to start now that waiting for whatever your current excuse is to pass.

The key thing in investing and personal finance is time. The younger you start, the easier things are. Investment returns compound over time and the longer you invest, the more money you will have.

It may not be pleasant to tackle financial planning but it can be very rewarding.

There’s never a good time to start, so just do it soon.

 

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Before the Big Day

A wedding is a wonderful thing and lots of excitement surrounds the big day.

Often overlooked are some of the things that could be done to make sure this milestone marks a lasting and fulfilling union. As financial advisors, one of the things that gives us the most pleasure and sense of accomplishment is helping a young couple get started on their new life.

If possible we like to sit down with them well before the wedding and help them begin to chart their financial future. It’s hard for any couple on their own to have a good dialogue about money. With a neutral party present, it’s much easier to get that dialogue started and we hope it will last a lifetime. We help a couple sketch out the broad outlines of their financial lives knowing full well that there will be continual adjustments.

The important thing is that they can talk with each other about money in a constructive, unemotional way. Finances are one of the biggest sources of tension for a couple and a leading cause of divorce.

Getting started on the right foot, with the help of a financial advisor, can make a big difference in whether the young family prospers or founders.

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