Outside Economics

Personal Finances and The Distractions of Life

Posted by Wendell Brock, MBA, ChFC on Fri, May 05, 2017

Years ago I use to teach seminars about personal finances and one thing we use to talk about was what I will call the distractions of life. We all live busy lives, some extremely busy, and so we end up living by the rule “if it ain’t broken don’t fix it”. Often we all create our own busyness and the level of “busy” is largely up to us. Yes we have work and family obligations, but we are in control of many of those obligations.

Yesterday I was visiting with a client, we belong to the same social club and he asked about the annual picnic being canceled, since I attend the board meetings he figured I would have some insight. I told him that there simply was not a Saturday in May that worked; too many other functions were already planned. After all May starts graduation season for college and high school, it has the Memorial Day Holiday, and you could also throw in the beginning of the wedding season. Who does not know of someone getting married during the months of May or  June?

As a result of our busy lives our personal finances get left to what ever benefits our employer offers and then we simply hope for the best with everything else. It has been said that the average family spends more time planning their annual vacation than their family finances. series of ocean-waves.jpg

The distractions of life seem to come in waves and they are timed just like the waves at the beach, some are larger than others, but they come regularly and timely. Here are some examples:

We start every new year working to get caught up from the holidays, then it is Valentines Day, the world tells us we have to do something really special for our sweetheart and we respond. If we know what's good for us we'd better!

Next is Easter and Tax season, so we say to ourselves and others “I will attend to my personal finances after I finish my taxes.” So lets meet after tax season is over. Tax season ends and…

It is graduation/wedding season and my child is graduating from high school and my nieces best friend is getting married, so out goes May and June - just too busy. Lets meet in July…

Well July comes and we have again the wonderful holiday we call the 4th, Independence Day! (Wouldn’t it be wonderful to be truly financially independent on Independence Day?) And it is also vacation season, with August on its tail. Things will settle down after we return from vacation and we will have time to work on our finances…

Here we are at the end of August and into September back from vacation, but life is so crazy with trying to get the kids settled back in school and the Labor Day holiday, we just can’t find time to visit… 

Then October starts and it is the beginning of the fourth quarter, work gets demanding simply because we have to make a strong push for the end of the year, the hours at work are so crazy, maybe it will slow down next month…

Next month is the beginning of the holiday season, with Thanksgiving (my personal favorite). Then Christmas and New Years and we all know how busy the holiday season is so we simply can’t meet then… 

Soon enough we are right back where we started at the new year with little to no progress on our personal finances. The waves keep coming. At some point we have to stop and take control of our lives and our finances. It is all a matter of priorities. If we wait until its broke, then often we can’t fix it. If all we do is take what is offered to us as benefits from work, then what happens if we are unlucky and get the dreaded pink slip? Poof, just like that, our benefits are gone, and we have a personal financial crisis.

I have a client in that very situation who was hit by a storm. During his last job, he developed an illness that prevents him from obtaining life insurance. He lost his job and benefits, he always thought that he would have enough wealth so he could as the drive-by’s say “self insure his life”. With the large amount of money he has, he still has two young children, he still needs some life insurance. A little time and planning would have helped a lot.

Don’t put things off, get things organized, see a professional financial advisor, make sure they at least have a professional designation, that requires them to have some level of financial education and a code of ethics, the best are: ChFC, CFP, and CPA. As a ChFC (Chartered Financial Consultant) I understand the education, rigorous exams, and practical experience necessary to obtain such a designation, my clients have benefited from this additional training. I am always happy to help people prepare and become independent, so, for more information give me a call. 

Get started today, after all the waves will always come regardless, and so will the storms. Don’t let the waves get in the way of preparing for the storms!

 

REMEMBER:

"Opportunity abounds in alleged bad times."
"True optimism includes realistically looking for opportunities among bad developments" ~ Howard Ruff

 

Topics: personal financial crisis, personal finances, Family Finances

Yuck - Life Insurance!

Posted by Wendell Brock, MBA, ChFC on Thu, Apr 17, 2014

about life insuranceThere are two things in life that are inevitable: death and taxes, as the old saying goes. This article will discuss ways in which you can protect your family upon your death with life insurance – there it’s been said; no one likes to talk about life insurance! While this may not be a very uplifting topic for most people, it is better to plan and be prepared for the event now, than to put it off and perhaps leave your family coping with both your loss and a personal financial crisis.

If you have young children at home, this is an especially important topic. It doesn't matter if you are a breadwinner or a stay-at-home parent. Having adequate life insurance coverage for both spouses will ensure that your family will be provided for once you are gone.

A good rule of thumb is to have ten to as much as twenty times your income in life insurance coverage.  If you are in debt, this amount should cover any remaining debt, burial costs and leave money enough to invest, whereby earning a rate of return that replaces your lost earnings.

If you have a small policy through your employer, that may not be enough. A small policy may be able to cover burial expenses and living expenses for about a year, but what will your family do after that? You may need to review it and consider purchasing a separate policy. Making sure you have plenty of coverage will allow your family to live comfortably until they figure out the next step in their lives.

Waiting too long to buy life insurance is risky for a few reasons. First, it is always possible that something may happen to you before you are able to buy a policy and your family is then left unprotected. You may have a change in health that could substantially increase your rates or even eliminate your ability to have life insurance. Also, life insurance is cheaper to purchase when you are younger and the rates are locked for the set time of the policy.

In considering the term length of the policy, don't try and save money by purchasing a shorter term. A lot of health changes can happen in a small amount of time and you could be hampering your future ability to have inexpensive coverage. As a general rule, if you are planning on having children in the future, having a 30-year or longer plan might make sense for you. If you have young children but are not planning on having any more, than a 20-year policy might be appropriate.

You may have needs that truly last a lifetime and would require a mix of term insurance and permanent insurance. That is a challenge is to properly asses a family’s needs and plan accordingly. Even though some needs may change over time, some financial needs are constant or some needs are replaced by other needs.

Insurance premiums are based on three general areas: the insurance company administrative expenses, company investment returns, and mortality expenses (death claims paid). Term rates are generally lower due to the fact that so many of the policies expire before the company pays a death claim. Fewer claims, lower premiums. Permanent insurance or cash value policies are typically in-force for a longer period of time and thus experience more death claims and thus have higher initial premiums. Even with term insurance, a 30 year term policy will be much more expensive than a 20 or 10 year term policy – the risk of death and thus the risk of paying a death claim is greater for the insurance company – so the premium expense is much higher.

It is good to review your policy from time to time to make sure your coverage is adequate to your needs. Circumstances and needs change as life progresses and you may find that the policy you purchased 10-15 years ago will no longer do for your family. Perhaps you are making more money now and your family is used to a higher lifestyle. Or maybe your health habits have improved and you can qualify for better premiums. Periodically assessing your circumstances can either help you save money or require additional coverage.

Be sure to shop around before you purchase your insurance. At times the cheaper policies have the most stringent underwriting standards, thus making the slightest health problem(s) a standard rate instead of the advertised preferred rate. Independent agents can pull quotes from many different sources, thus ensuring a competitive quote. Educate yourself before purchasing any policy.

Life insurance is a major part of a wise financial plan. Love your family enough to protect them from a financial crisis in the midst of their grief. Remember the insurance is not for you – its for the people you love most! Is your family properly protected?

Topics: life insurance, death, taxes, permanent insurance, term insurance, cash value, personal financial crisis, debt

120514_WWBrock_1

Wendell W. Brock, MBA, ChFC

Subscribe by Email

Follow Me

Most Popular Posts

Other Sites I Follow, hobbies, fun and info:

gold-vs-silver-1.jpg  Nauvoo Mint brokerage services for precious metals

 

john Mauldin chair

Note:

Outside Economics is not a registered investment advisory firm (RIA) and does not act as an RIA. Outside Economics does not provide any specific investment advice. Any information obtained from this website or through one of  Outside Economics' representatives should be reviewed by a professional.

Subscribers Note: We do not sell our email list. Period. Thank you for subscribing.

Recent Posts