Where to begin? Napoleon Hill in his landmark book Think and Grow Rich, had it right – know what you want and really want it. “The starting point of all achievement is desire, keep this constantly in mind. Weak desires bring weak results, just as a small amount of fire makes a small amount of heat.”
The next question is do you need to bring in some reinforcement to keep that fire going? If you have concerns about saving for retirement, questions about whether you have enough insurance coverage, or need help with tax planning, having a fee only planner, a fiduciary, who works only for you is priceless. My husband changed jobs recently and as a result, we were inundated with new health and life insurance paperwork. We talked with Bob about how much life insurance we needed above and beyond what was being offered through our employers. Keeping our long term goals in mind and backing it up with numbers, Bob advised us on what we needed to purchase. We now feel at peace.
Whether you decide to hire a professional to help you achieve your financial goals or go solo, be sure to lay the groundwork. Create action steps to follow along the way, breaking down larger goals into smaller milestones is the key to success. Stephen Covey said, “All things are created twice. There’s a mental or first creation, and a physical or second creation of all things. You have to make sure that the blueprint, the first creation, is really what you want, that you’ve thought everything through. Then you put it into bricks and mortar. Each day you go to the construction shed and pull out the blueprint to get marching orders for the day. You begin with the end in mind.”
The financial planning team at Bartley Financial really listens to what our clients want both personally and financially, what they want now and in the future, for themselves and their family. Then we set a clearly defined plan of actions steps. Creation of action steps and prioritizing what needs to get done in order to reach financial goals can be challenging especially when you don’t know what you don’t know. Having a team of professionals to help prioritize, provide insight into complex financial and tax planning and keep your momentum going makes attaining goals easier. We help others live their lives and spend less time worrying about money. Time is precious. Life is precious. As we welcome the next season, carve out the time to define what you want and outline the steps you need to take. We are always here to help when you are ready. In the meantime you’ve got this!