It has been said that there are only about 6 personal finance stories, with newspaper columns, finance blogs, and radio programs repeating them over and over. A handful of finance books, a pad & paper, and a few months should be sufficient to understand the basics, from income to expenses to debt to saving. And yet multitudes of people struggle with managing money, handling unexpected expenses, and saving for the future.
So much of our interaction with money is focused on numbers – how much we earn, how much things cost, rates of return, etc. – that it is easy to think that money decisions should simply be a matter of knowing the options and solving the correct equations. If we keep twisting, turning, looking at it from different angles, then the perfect solution will appear and our money decisions will be clear.
Right?!?
Not even close. What makes sense on paper goes out the window when the stress is turned up (and money problems are always stressful). People default to instinct and emotion, rather than calm & deliberate decision making.
The "heavy lifting" of managing your financial life is recognizing what is most valuable now, what you want in the future, and what choices will make your life better both now and later. Some of those choices might be very different from the way you have done things in the past. That's ok. You may find that a belief that was really important to your younger self is not all that important any more. Still ok.
A little change is exactly what you need to take control of your financial life.
Are financial calculations important? Yes, of course! Can sophisticated software help identify which choices have the biggest impact? Sure, that's why we use it. But making smart decisions – and sticking with them – isn't about the numbers.
It's about believing that you can make meaningful changes for the better, taking action, and adjusting as needed. One step at a time, day after day, building a better life for yourself and the people you care about.
Ready to get started? Let's set up a phone call or Zoom to find out how you can take the guess work out of your financial life.
Timothy Iseler, CFP®
Founder & Lead Advisor
Iseler Financial, LLC | Durham NC | (919) 666-7604
Iseler Financial helps creative professionals remove stress while taking control of their financial futures. As both advisor and accountability partner, we help identify current strengths and weaknesses, clarify and refine your long-term goals, and prioritize understandable, manageable, and repeatable actions to bring long-term financial well-being. Reach out today to take the first step.