When it comes to physical fitness, I’ve always thought of myself as a brick house. Some mornings, I even start out the day listening to the song “Brick House” to get myself moving and motivated. Now that song will probably be stuck in your head the rest of the day.
You’re welcome.
Fitness has always been important to me. Right now, I’m taking a high-level Pilates class four days a week. Seriously – you should see my posture. It’s amazing. I also just completed a half marathon.
The problem is that during Covid, I put on the Covid 19 – times two. When I go to my doctor’s office, he talks to me about things like my blood pressure, knee cartilage and sore muscles and how we need to keep an eye on it. The reality is that yes, I have six pack abs under layers of fat, but I still have those layers of fat that everyone else can see.
Why am I talking about this on a financial planning blog?
I’ve been thinking about how many other people might be like me when it comes to their finances; they seem to be a brick house, but there’s more going on than we realize.
- How many people have a healthy cash reserve and are saving into their 401ks, but still are carrying credit card debt?
- How many people have a brokerage account, but no life insurance to protect their family in case the unthinkable happens?
- How many people are driving fancy cars, but haven’t saved a dime for their kids’ college education?
- How many people have fancy houses and big fat mortgages to go with them and are not saving for their retirements?
- How many people don’t truly know where they stand when it comes to their financial goals?
The one answer to all of these questions? More than you would think.
Just as my doctor keeps an eye on me - asking me to take my blood pressure twice a week, checking my insulin levels to make sure I’m not pre-diabetic, and giving me a reality check twice a year – a financial planner can do something similar for you.
- We can look at the details with a professional perspective.
- We can create a plan that might help you for years to come.
- We can make suggestions about strategies you might not have considered before.
Most importantly, we can check in with you regularly to see what’s changed and still keep you on track.
We can look at your financial “house” and help you see what you are unwilling to see which helps you know what you don’t know. And, as Frost so famously said, “that has made all the difference.”
LFS-4760701-052522