Motivation is Power!

Motivation is Power!

Motivation is the power you need to accomplish your goals.

It is the necessary force driving you to create lasting change in your lives.
Motivation is the fire that comes from within us make something happen in your lives.
It is something that cannot come from someone else.
Different things motivate different people.
Maybe it’s a new project you have recently embarked upon.
A desire to start a new business.
It might be pursuing a new career therefore achieving the goal to escape the mundane job that you have been doing for years.
For some it is the motivation to lose weight by eating healthier and start exercising.
It could mean committing to a relationship mentally and emotionally no matter how difficult it might be.
Maybe it’s your long term commitment to achieving your financial goals.
It is always easy to find the initial determination and passion to achieve your goals.
However it is keeping the motivation to achieve those goals that usually proves to be the difficult part.
What happens to your goals when you tire and start to lose your motivation?
Do you give up?
This is when you need to try and recapture that original motivation, which can sometimes be easier said than done.
Is there a way to regain the energy that drives you to accomplish and succeed in your goals?
How can you readjust your focus and maintain that motivation that you once had?
You see normally it is not your circumstances that have changed but your feelings.
So when you feel that loose of motivation it is time to go back to the source that motivated you to begin with.
Who or what it was that motivated you to achieve your goals.
Don’t be afraid to ask your friends or family for help to get back your motivation.
Maybe going back to the place that was the original source of your motivation will help.
Writing down your goals and referring to them often is also a good way to keep motivated.
Here are 5 Financial Goals that you should write down to keep you motivated to reach your financial goals;
1.      Invest more money.
2.      Pay down credit card debt.
3.      Cut back on unnecessary spending.
4.      Save for retirement.
5.      Create an emergency fund.
For you to create that lasting change it takes the kind of motivation that takes strength and long term commitment, do not expect instant gratification.

“An unwritten goal is only a wish” – common proverb.

  

The 5 Top Financial Mistakes That Women Often Make!

Women are working now more than ever before.

Juggling life as a professional business women, wife and mother.

Women are living longer than their male counterparts and therefore need to be more financially savvy about how their money is going to last them throughout their lifetime.

Unfortunately however women are still not allowing themselves the valuable time that they need, to get themselves educated when it comes to their finances.

Will Having a Financial Plan Benefit You?

 Could it be more vital for women to have a Financial Plan than a man?

Even though statistics show that women are less likely to actually have one.

Often women fall into the trap of using the men in their lives as their Financial Plan.

But women need to have their own financial plan.

When we take in to consideration that women live longer, typically earn 25 percent less than men and spend more time out of the workforce than men.

This can only lead to us needing our own financial plan and no longer rely on anyone else for our plan.

Women and long term financial planning.

Typically women tend to keep putting this of and are waiting too long to start their long term financial planning.  But it is something that needs to be planned sooner rather than later.  It is important to set goals like when you want to retire, how much you will need as an income when you retire, how much you will need for your travel plans and how much you want for your families.  The sooner you have these goals to aim for the more likely you are going to achieve them on the timeline that you want.

Being Rich does not mean you don’t need a plan.

Often the misconception is that when people earn lots of money they do not need to have a financial plan.  This could not be further from the truth because making lots of money does not automatically make someone rich, it does not ultimately determine your wealth; it is how much of that money that you are investing that determines your wealth.  Often what happens is that people who do earn a lot of money never see themselves as having financial concerns so they never seek advice with creating a financial plan.  But failing to invest for your future may hinder you from having a comfortable retirement.

The danger of relying on one spouse to take care of the financial planning.

Being reliant on one spouse within a marriage to take care of the finances can be dangerous, as statistics show that unfortunately almost as many as 50 percent of marriages end in divorce.  Even with the best divorce attorney, helping you get alimony and child support it is a fact that the standard of living for women can significantly drop.

Widowhood is another danger of having one spouse dealing with the finances, the average age of widowhood is 56 years old, which usually leads to women being left unprepared.  Due to that unpreparedness as many as 80 percent of widows will then live in poverty even though their husband was far from poor when he died.

  

The important steps to a good Financial Plan.

 Often asking the right questions and getting educated is all it takes to secure a financial future for yourself.  Questions like do I have enough life insurance to pay off my debt if something were to happen to me does my life insurance have any type of long term care or disability insurance within it if I were to need it in the future?  Will I have enough income to last me the rest of my life if I could no longer rely on my spouse’s pension.

Asking yourself these questions and sitting down with a professional is the start to knowing how secure your future really is, giving you the peace of mind that you deserve.

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.

Why Don’t More Women Use a Financial Advisor?

Okay so I know what you are thinking! 

That this might sound a little biased coming from me!

However I do think that this is a very important subject that needs to be discussed.

Did you know that only 20% of female investors work with a Financial Adviser even though 70% of women would like to work with one?

The question is, if so many women want to work with a Financial Adviser why aren’t they?

Okay so maybe this is where my biased opinion comes in!

Could part of the problem be that only 1 out of 3 Financial Advisers are women! Just a thought!

I do however have to ask myself if the majority of women out there want to work with a Financial Adviser but aren’t.  

What is the reason behind this?

Could the answer be simply they have not yet met the right person that they can connect with?

Quite possibly! Okay biased again! 

Think about it, traditionally Financial Services are geared towards men, with investment advertising geared towards men, insurance advertising also geared towards men and protecting their families.

Do I think that if you are a women that you need to work with a female Financial Adviser?

Well of course not.

I do however think that women want to be noticed, and quite rightly so. Women these day’s have successful careers and are often the breadwinners in their families. Right now working women in America currently earn more than $1 trillion a year. There is currently over 9 million female business owners in America, generating more than $3.6 trillion in annual revenues.

So that said why are so few women working with a Financial Adviser?

I believe from working with some of my female clients there is a real lack of communication with what women really look for in a Financial Adviser. As women we view our money, businesses and our family’s needs differently than men, and that is not what we are getting from the Financial Industry. 

Why not?

I believe women deserve the best service either from me or someone else in the Financial Industry, someone committed to knowing what they are looking for.

So that brings up the question of what is it that women are looking for from a Financial Advisor?

In my opinion women are looking for:

~ Less Stress

~ Freedom

~ Simplicity

~ Clarity

~ Peace of Mind

~ An Adviser who Listen’s and understands

~ A Values based Financial Plan

~ To be able to take care of our Families

Would you agree that these are some of the things that you as a woman are looking for from a Financial Adviser?

 

The good news is that the Financial Industry is starting to realize that and is moving towards better communication with female clients.

If you have not met a Financial Adviser or even if you are currently working with one but are not 100% comfortable with the relationship, now might be a good time to look for someone more focused on your needs. The more women demand from the Financial Industry the more likely changes that need to be made will happen for the better to serve you as a woman.

I offer an Opportunity Meeting to anyone who wants to meet with me and find out if I might be a good fit as their Financial Adviser.  You have nothing to lose and everything to gain. I will even give you a gift certificate to La Te Da Salon and Spa for your valuable Time. 

Contact me at 239-288-0977 to schedule your Opportunity Meeting!

239-288-0977