My wife and I are very different (don’t worry, it’s a good thing!), especially when it comes to our careers. She is a Surgical Technologist at a large local hospital and is the surgeon’s “right hand man” in the operating room. As much as I love financial planning, I must admit that she has way cooler stories than me when she gets home! Health care amazes me. The types of procedures that are available now are incredible and, in my opinion, those in the medical field are heroes.
In the locker room at my wife’s hospital, it’s common for the ladies to have magnets of pictures of their family, friends or quotes that might get them through a long, hard, stressful day. Recently she came home and told me, “You’ll love this one!” I asked what she was referring to and she proceeded to tell me that one of her co-workers had a magnet on her locker that read:
Take care of your financial health
Me, being the nerd that I am, said, “No way, that’s awesome!” The more I thought about that quote, the more it resonated with me. We always think about taking care of our health, especially this time of year after we’ve made our (hopefully do-able and realistic) new year’s resolutions. The gym is busier and fruits and veggies are scarce at the grocery store as people try to make a change. Physical health could mean literally thousands of different things for each individual -- from quitting smoking to eating better, working out to sleeping more.
The same goes for financial health. There is no “one size fits all”. True financial planning is a PROCESS not a product, just like improving your physical health. So, with a fresh start to a new year, I encourage each of you to evaluate your life to see if you are “taking care of your financial health.” As you do this, remember:
Set realistic goals that are achievable (just like you should be doing for your physical health)
Work toward your goals, but don’t expect perfection
Over time, creating good habits and taking the time to review your finances will hopefully lead to a happier you. From everyone at The Center, we wish you and your family a very happy and healthy new year!
Nick Defenthaler, CFP® is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ at Center for Financial Planning, Inc. Nick is a member of The Center’s financial planning department and also works closely with Center clients. In addition, Nick is a frequent contributor to the firm’s Money Centered and Center Connections blogs.
Any opinions are those of Center for Financial Planning, Inc. and not necessarily those of RJFS or Raymond James. C15-002022