Do you or someone you know struggle with money issues, be it due to credit problems, budgeting concerns, or just trying to understand it all?
One of the problems that many folks face is that no one ever taught them how to handle money. There are so many facets to finances these days, from saving and retirement accounts to credit card debt, mortgages, insurance and legal documents. It can be a confusing, frightening place to be if you don’t have a good handle on the basics of your money matters.
Quite often, when dealing with difficult financial situations, we become frozen in place, unable (or unwilling) to make a move because we don’t understand the impact of waiting, or the benefits of making that first step toward our dreams. Does making one move cancel our options for another move? What is the most important area to focus on first, or should we try to focus a little bit on everything at once?
In order to deal with this fear, it takes a bit of organization – getting all of your information into one place – and then developing a plan. The first plans should just deal with making sure that you’ve got your basics covered: rent, groceries, insurance, etc.. Then, begin considering your goals. As these goals come into focus, you’ll start to see ways that you can, baby step by baby step, find your way out of the situation you’ve discovered yourself in. Discipline and focus are the primary tools that you’ll need in order to be successful.
Blankenship Financial Planning provides counseling in order to empower folks to better understand the impacts of their decisions about money matters. Since we operate in an hourly, fee-only fashion, this kind of counseling is accessible to folks from all walks of life, and the advice is provided by someone that is focused on the “big picture” of your overall money situation.
Click the link to pick up a copy of A Social Security Owner's Manual or if you'd prefer the Kindle version (and let's face it, ALL the cool kids do!), you can find that at this Kindle version link.
I can learn from you, you can learn from me - please leave your comments and links!Jim Blankenship, CFP®, EA, is an expert in personal retirement, IRAs, and tax issues, with more than 25 years of experience in the industry. Read more from this author
And if you've come here to learn about queuing waterfowl, I apologize for the confusion. You may want to discuss your question with Lester, my loyal watchduck and self-proclaimed "advisor's advisor".