Money makes just about everyone nervous. And as we’re approaching major life transitions, it can be hard to keep our money worries in check. But when you’re working with an adviser and following a Life-Centred Financial Plan, many of your financial fears are no more real than the fear itself.
Let’s pull back the curtain on two common financial fears that could be negatively impacting your Return on Life.
Fear of Investing
When you make any investment, you’re taking on risks. That’s why many folks who are skeptical think the share market is just a big casino where the house always wins. Because they’re worried that their investments won’t pay off, they prefer to “play it safe” by keeping most of their money in the bank. They might even apply this “safe” mindset to other aspects of their lives. Why “invest” in a gym membership when your fitness resolutions have always failed? Why “gamble” on yourself by starting your own company when the odds seem stacked against you?
Unfortunately, in both finance and in life, there’s no growth without risk. The give-and-take between buyers and sellers that causes market volatility is also what creates value and, for disciplined investors, increased wealth in the long run. Your Life-Centred Financial Plan is designed to account for, weather, and even take advantage of these quantifiable and manageable risks.
You can also plan to make more effective investments in other aspects of your life. For example, ditching resolutions for incremental SMART goals – Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound – can help you face your fears and start achieving more.
Fear of Spending
In addition to following a diversified investment strategy, living within your means and keeping debt under control are often keys to financial success. But frugality that’s rooted in fear can turn a good habit into a bad relationship with money.
Folks who spend their working days only working for more money often miss out on too many of life’s most meaningful moments. An obsession with “hitting a number” that will magically create financial security can distort a person’s retirement timeline. Some people work longer than they have to and miss out on that sweet spot between leisure time and good health. And even if they do “hit their number,” seniors who were afraid of spending when they were earning a monthly paycheck are often terrified to open their wallets once they start living off a fixed income. These retirees often struggle to switch from a saving mindset to a reward mindset. As they did when they were picking up all those extra weekend hours, they put off dream vacations and creature comforts. They figure they’ll start spending more and doing more “when the right time comes.”
Sadly, for many folks who are too afraid to follow a financial plan and use their money to enjoy life more, that “right time” never comes.
Who ya gonna call?
Don’t let these kinds of scary stories keep you up at night. Let’s schedule a catch-up to put your financial fears to rest and help you feel more confident about 2025.
Information on this site may be regarded as general advice. That is, your personal objectives, needs or financial situations were not taken into account when preparing this information. Accordingly, you should consider the appropriateness of any general advice we have given you, having regard to your own objectives, financial situation and needs before acting on it. Where the information relates to a particular financial product, you should obtain and consider the relevant product disclosure statement before making any decision to purchase that financial product.