Sometimes It Is Okay Not To Be In Control

Today was one of those days!

One of those days when you are just not in control!
You know the kind when nothing is going quite right, and things are not going the way you want them to go.
No matter how hard you try and turn it around you just can’t.
No matter what you just can’t seem to get through everything that needs to be done.
There are complaints…..
Big ones….ugh….unintentional mistakes but mistakes nonetheless.

Financial Resolutions for the New Year.

As another year comes to an end it is always a time for reflection.

Reflecting back on 2013 the lessons learned, and things achieved.

It has been a good year a great year in fact.

But it is almost time to welcome 2014, new lessons to be learned and new goals to be achieved for the year that lies ahead of us.

New Year’s resolutions to be made!

Honestly I am not a big fan of New Year resolutions.

Why?

Well resolutions are not supposed to be a wish list; they are not to be taken lightly like a shopping list.

So sometimes it is easier to avoid making them than make them and not be able to keep them.

New Year’s resolutions are decisions we make about what we want to achieve in the year ahead and then we need to follow through with them until we have achieved them.

Retirement Roadmap for Women

 Is retirement planning different for women than it is for men?

Should women be thinking about using their own retirement roadmap when it comes to doing their retirement planning?

Women tend to live longer than men.  Which in turn means they will, more than likely spend more years in retirement than men?

All joking aside as to why women may live longer than men, can this really affect women’s retirement planning?

Are there other factors that require women to use a different Retirement Roadmap?

Here are a few essential things that women should keep in mind to help them avoid making any wrong turns with their retirement journey.

Women Live Longer.

As I already mentioned women tend to live longer than men, on average it can be as much as 7 years longer, which means that women need their retirement income to last 7 more years.  For a women retiring at age 65, this means that the investments where she is getting her income from will need to last her until she is about 97 years old.

Women Still Tend to Earn Less.

Even today with the equal pay law, women are usually still paid less on average than men.  This does therefore make it harder for women to save for their retirement.  With this lower income also comes the knock on effect of the negative benefits that it has on a woman’s social security benefits.

Women Spend Less Time in the Workforce.

Women typically spend on average about 12 years not working, usually when they take time out to be caregivers, raising their children and sometimes to take care of elderly parents.  This time out of the work force subsequently means reduced retirement savings which can affect the amount women are able to invest into their retirement plans and again into social security.  This can even lead to women having to delay their retirement.

Women Tend to Invest to Conservatively.

Statistics show that women tend to invest a lot more conservatively than men; more often than not women tend to choose “safe” rather than “risky” investments, which in turn can mean that their investments will not grow enough to support them through their retirement years.

Take Control to Avoid Bumps in the Road.

Women need to think about the future despite these obstacles that they are faced with.  Women can take control and plan for a safe and comfortable retirement.  By educating themselves to be able to understanding each individual obstacle that they face, this will allow them to plan and take control of their retirement.

Is it time for you to make retirement planning a top priority, if so contact me at 239-288-0977 to get the education that you need to give you the retirement roadmap that you need to make sure your retirement journey is safe and comfortable.

For the Love of Money!

Do you love money?

What does it mean to love money?

Do you love to spend money?

Do you love to save money?

Maybe you even love to give it away.

Do you think there is even a difference between loving money and spending money?

I am not talking about having an obsession with money.

I am talking about the relationship that you have with your money.

I think it is important for you to understand the relationship that you have with money.  If you want to be successful with your money you need to come to terms with what it really means to love money.

You see along with money always comes the emotional feelings either positive or negative.

You will either love money or you will hate it.  When you think about money it will either bring you feelings of joy and excitement, making you happy and calm or it will bring you feelings of worry and fear, making you stressed and anxious.

I think for you to be able to reach your financial dreams and goals in life you need to be able to move away from the stress that your money brings you and be able to look at your money in a whole new way.   You need to know how to love your money and how to treat and manage your money in a way that is going to serve you better.  You need to have a better understanding of your finances in order to gain the positive outcome that you are looking for in your financial life.  For most this means you being able to partner with a specialist who will provide you with the right tools to enable you to manage your money better, which in turn will lead you to positive feelings towards your money, helping you let go of your negative experiences and lead you to a stress free financial relationship with your money.

If you feel like you need to partner with a specialist on how to love your money in a more positive way call my office today and schedule a free consultation appointment with me at 239 288 0977. 

Women Facing Financial Transition

Change is inevitable in all of our lives.

Career changes!

Relationship changes!

Changes in our lives are almost always accompanied with strong emotions and bring on feelings of insecurity and confusion, all of which are unavoidable and very normal.

Transitions in life become even more daunting when they are accompanied with major changes in our financial situation also.

When we find ourselves faced with these overwhelming situations, it can literally paralyze us with fear and this is when we are most likely to make the wrong decisions.

I know this from firsthand experience.

As I have faced my owner major transition in life.

For me my major transition was the death of my husband, for me this brought with it overwhelming emotions that I had never experienced before along with a huge amount of uncertainty in my financial situation.

For me a long this has been a journey which has brought me to where I am now!

Showing women how to identify some of the major life changing events in their lives.

From experience I have found that some of the most significant events in our lives can become the biggest challenges.

Some of which can be:

Divorce.

Divorce can be an emotional rollercoaster for both spouses.  The major changes in this stage of life cause a great deal of pain and stress.  It is like taking a leap into the unknown.  Some of the financial issues that come along and add to the already overwhelming burden are having to divide the marital assets, alimony, child support, changes in our tax situation, health and life insurance changes and even changes in our estate planning.  With so much pain and hurt ruling our emotions it can become extremely difficult to navigate through this transition.   

Retirement.

Looking forward to retirement can be an exciting time.  However along with the excitement can come feelings of fear and insecurity?  Feelings that we are not prepared to have and for many people this can make it difficult to focus on and identify how we are going to be able to achieve our retirement goals.   Are we going to meet our financial needs throughout our retirement giving us the comfortable retirement that we desire?   How are we going to deal with the other issues that we may face during our retirement years, like avoiding running out of money, especially as women because it is a known fact that we will probably spend more years in retirement than men as typically we live longer.  When will be the best time for us to start our Social Security benefits?  How are we going to be able to take care of our healthcare and long term care needs in retirement?  All of these factor in to making retirement another major financial transition in life that we are going to face. 

Widowhood.

When a woman loses her husband it is emotionally devastating.  This is the time when we need to reach out for help.   There are many stages of grieving all of which need to be processed and experienced before we can reach acceptance.  It is so very important to have a support team around us at this time, one which will help us make the right decisions.  One of the biggest mistakes that happen when we are faced with this type of major transition in our lives is that often we are lead to believe that decisions have to be made right away.  This is not the case it is the opposite in actual fact this is when we need to take time as more often than not the biggest mistakes are made when we are stressed and emotional.  So you need to give yourself time at least a year before making any major financial decisions.

It is important for women facing financial transitions in their lives to partner with someone who uses a caring and understanding approach, this can be the key to achieving financial security and personal success over their transition.

If you need a transition partner to help you embrace your current situation.  Call today and schedule a free consultation appointment with me today at 239-288-0977.