This week, millions of us will spend our hard-earned money on a scare. Whether we’re tiptoeing around a “haunted” house, chasing kids through a corn maze, or streaming a scary movie, the rush of adrenaline comes with the comfort of knowing the horror is all in good fun.
Unfortunately, being scared about money is just plain scary. The fears are real, the consequences can be permanent, and you might not get a chance to start over in a sequel.
But if you’re letting fears around market volatility, inflation, tariffs, personal debt, and retirement play an outsized role in your financial planning, then that haunted house feeling might never go away.
Here’s how a Life-Centered Financial Plan can minimize money scares.
Turn on the Lights
Your neighbor’s house and your kids’ school aren’t scary.
Until you turn the lights off, cover the windows with black paper, and block off all the usual exits.
What’s really “haunting” your local haunted house is the unknown. Not knowing what’s coming around the next corner can be nerve-wracking.
That’s especially true when the next twist or turn could affect your finances.
Of course, “the unknown” also changes over the course of your life. Young investors might get spooked by volatile markets because they haven’t experienced the ups and downs of investing over the course of decades. In middle age, as your financial priorities shift to big expenses like homes, vehicles, and college, it can be hard to bring long-term costs down to size. And as we near retirement, life without work – and a steady paycheck – can raise a whole new set of fears.
Life-Centered Financial Planning can help you shine light on these fears through every stage of your life. A trustworthy advisor can take stock of where you are and start making a plan to get you where you want to go.
You can also lean on your advisor’s experience to help you improve your own financial literacy. The more you understand about how your plan works and how it’s set up to support you through various challenges, the more confident you’re going to feel.
Strap On Your Armor
What’s the worst that can happen?
When you’re “lost” in that corn maze or riding a roller coaster, nothing all that bad. The scares are all carefully planned out. And there’s a whole team of professionals working behind the scenes to make sure nothing goes wrong. Knowing you’re safe is what makes the scares fun.
The stakes are a lot higher with a financial plan. But you should also feel that sense of security even when your finances are giving you the chills. If you’re working with a Life-Centered Financial Planner, then you have a team that’s protecting your money and working in your best interests. Strategies like establishing investment guardrails that align with your needs and your risk tolerance and creating cash “buckets” for potential emergency scenarios can take some of the fear out of your financial future.
And when you’re ready to retire, your plan will also help you plan out the best ways to use your resources so that you enjoy your golden years in the moment while also preserving your long-term security.
No Tricks, Just Treats
In financial planning, the real fun begins once the monsters have been chased out of your closets.
Your Life-Financial Plan will give you the confidence to take charge of your financial future every single day. From small moves like automating retirement contributions to major decisions like estate planning, working with us will keep you progressing from one $Lifeline milestone to the next.
Once you’ve escaped the things that go bump in the night, get in touch and let’s start working on a plan that will provide less financial chills and more thrills in the year ahead.
