Choose Your Own Adventure!

Juliet may ask “what’s in a name?” but today, my question is “What makes the perfect story?” Some may say the characters, an interesting setting, or maybe even the adventure (plot). They might be right, or at least right in that each of those aspects contributes to a great story; however, for today, I am going to answer this question with “the narration.” The reason for this? You could have all the right elements for an exciting story, but still have the delivery ruined by a monotonous, Charlie-Brown-Teacher-like drone! Isn’t that just the worst? The perspective and manner in which the story is conveyed is of absolute importance. This is also how I view financial planning.

There is no cookie-cutter solution on the “best” way to manage your finances (although not spending everything you make is a good way to start). Similarly, there are certain elements that when implemented can certainly help with making your plan more effective… but, when and how you utilize each of these various tools really depends on how you want your story to go! Thus, I encourage all of my clients and now, my readers, to contemplate financial planning not as a “boring administrative thing” you have to do, but rather, as your way of living out a real life “choose your own adventure” narrative. So, first things first, how do you want your story to go?

Here are some questions to consider as you begin your financial planning journey:

        - What is the plot of your story? (What are some of the key events for which you are excited?)

        -  Have you braced yourself for climaxes? (Sometimes everything just seems to go wrong at the worst time – are you prepared for emergencies?)

            - What is the setting? (Do you plan to live where you are now for the foreseeable future or would you like to move?)

                  - Who are the main characters? (Besides yourself, who else would be affected by your adventures?)

To Be Continued….