Just a few days ago Brenda told me about picking up Miles, my youngest grandson, age 4, at preschool. They have to pull up to the “loading zone” and get the child in the car and buckle the seatbelt before leaving. Miles was looking at something he had brought to the car from school and Brenda was trying to fasten his seat belt. Miles looked up at her and said, “You’re bothering me, and I can’t focus!”
Wow! Miles taught me a lesson! To focus one has to be free of “bother”. Just think: how much do we really focus on our finances and plans for the future? My suspicion is that the true answer is, “Not nearly enough!”
It’s pretty easy to let financial focus get blurred at this time of year. We are “bothered” by all the year-end festivities, deadlines, and rush! It’s shopping, dinners, parties, visiting with family and friends, returning gifts, recovering from the madness, and a hundred other things that come in December. We even make New Year’s resolutions, but do you review your spending for 2017? Have you forecasted spending and budget for 2018? Did you review your cash emergency fund and determine your liquidity? Have you reviewed your long-term care, homeowners and other insurance to reaffirm that it is sufficient? Have you changed jobs, added new dependents, or “launched” a child who no longer needs to be on your auto policy or other insurance? Are there any potential new liabilities or dependents who may come on the scene in 2018? It’s time to focus and that’s what we help you do!