They say the truth hurts. It’s a hard pill to swallow – like the time my daughter pointed out that she’s excited to see I’m going to have another baby. “No, honey. No baby in this belly!” But, thanks for pointing out that I might need to lose a few pounds!
Don’t you think that cutting out the junk and getting to the meat and potatoes of this life is really all that’s important? Think about it. Maybe I do need some exercise. Maybe I do need to hear something that makes me cringe. After all, the friend who will tell us what we need to hear, not what we want to hear, is the best friend of all.
So here’s the meat and potatoes – after more than 15 years as a financial advisor, I’m still blown away by the people who just don’t get it. The story is almost always the same…it’s a couple who has decent income, they don’t live extravagantly, one’s a spender and one’s a saver, they have some debt, are underfunded for retirement and college savings, and they don’t understand that it won’t just all come together perfectly.
Here’s the hard truth:
- Debt kills you.
- Savings won’t just happen one day.
- It doesn’t ever get cheaper to live.
None of these people are dumb. They’re just living the way society tells us we all should live. It’s peer pressure at its core and it’s contagious.
Have you ever seriously thought about what it would be like to have zero debt? How much would it cost you to live? What if all you had to pay for were utilities, clothes, and food? Would you have to save as much for retirement? Would you have to work as many hours as you do now?
Did you know it’s entirely possible to pay off your mortgage in 5 years? What about your car payment? Wouldn’t it be easier to not have one and pay for every car in the future with cash? With proper planning in place, these are all realistic examples of goals that can be accomplished without being rich.
Food (meat and potatoes) for thought…
If you have questions about your financial plan and steps you can take to pay off debt, please reach out to me. I would love to help you! Click here to view my calendar and schedule an appointment that is convenient for you!