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Viewing entries tagged with 'decision making'
In Family Finances, Women Are Taking A Larger Role
Financial advisers are noticing a shift.
A development few have noticed. The recession that started in 2007 quietly brought an economic shift to millions of American families - the woman of the house became the primary wage earner.
It's All In Your Hands
IT’S ALL IN YOUR HANDS
A Post-Divorce Action Plan
You have just gone through one of the most challenging and difficult periods that a woman can experience in her life – a divorce. While many things may still be in up in the air, one aspect of your life that you should make sure you’re in control is your finances.
Financial planning for divorced women is not that much different than financial planning for married couples. Several basic elements are the same. However, the differences offer both good news and bad news. The good news: you can make plans and decisions based solely on your needs and goals. There won’t be miscommunication or conflicting ideas. The bad news: it’s all in your hands. Any mistakes will be your own and a poor decision can’t be salvaged by the income or assets of a partner.
The following post-divorce action plan offers a few things worth considering:
One way to counter the bad news is to find a trusted fiduciary fee-only CFP® professional to seek advice from. Many of these fine professionals specialize in divorce planning, and many may have walked in your shoes during their life.
After a divorce, friends are often split between spouses. Financial planners can be the same way. If you lost yours in the divorce or never had one to begin with, it’s a good time to consider finding a professional who can help you make sound financial decisions for your new life.
To find one, start simply. Ask friends or acquaintances who it was that helped them when they went through a divorce. The attorney who handled your divorce may also be a good source for a referral. It’s important to have someone help you who has previously assisted or - best of all - who specializes in helping divorced women.
Selecting the right financial professional for you is a critical step. After all, this person will be helping you with the important financial decisions you now have to face.
Long-term care insurance may become even more important post-divorce.
Long-term care policies are designed to cover the costs of care if you are unable to care for yourself because of age or if you become ill or disabled. Long-term care is especially important for women because they typically pay more for it than men do. The reason is simple: women typically live longer than men and usually require longer care during those additional years.(source)
How Your Personality Affects Your Financial Decision-Making
All investors are not created equal. That’s why many fiduciary fee-only CFP® start their initial client meetings with a discussion of money attitudes, goals and risk tolerance – the driver at the root of all investment decisions. Some financial planners do this by general conversation, others by detailed surveys they ask their clients to fill out.
The survey route can be a more valuable tool because it forces clients to face their money issues, perhaps for the first time. Despite the difficulty in facing up to such key issues, individuals get a better idea of where their money strengths and weaknesses really lie. Often, the real difficulties lie in how money is spent.
The real value of answering a lot of questions about your risk tolerance is to tell you what you don’t know – how the sources of your money, the way you made it, your money viewpoints and current methods of handling it will inform every decision you make about it in the future.
The most important thing a questionnaire can reveal is your true money priorities and behaviors. Trained financial advisers, such as CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professionals – use both conversation and surveys to reach some firm answers that might surprise you.
Are there particular money types? In reality, you’ll find quite a number of surveys out there that define money types in particular ways, but you’ll find personalities that are common on the scale from conservative to liberal. Deborah L. Price, a Financial Planning Association member and founder and CEO of the Money Coaching Institute, offers these scenarios in an article titled, “What’s Your Money Personality?”:
The Innocent: Price notes that innocents often live in denial, are easily overwhelmed by financial information and rely heavily on the advice and opinions of others. They tend to be the most trusting because they generally don’t see people or situations clearly – which leaves them open to bad decisions at best and fraud at worst.
The Victim: She notes that victims are people who tend to live in the past and blame their woes on outside factors and situations they claim they can’t control. These people may have been abused, betrayed, or have suffered some great financial loss, but they generally see life as a self-fulfilling prophecy that they can’t change.
The Warrior: Generally seen as a successful person in the business and financial worlds, they will listen to advisors, but they make their own decisions. They tend to be great caretakers.
The Martyr: These people generally put other people before their own financial health. They use their money to rescue others based on their high expectations for themselves and the people they’re rescuing, but these decisions may be costly in the long run.
The Fool: The Fool, explains Price, is a combination of the Innocent and the Warrior because they have no clue about what they’re doing but they’ll act fearlessly. They are financially adventurous and they act on impulse.
The Creator/Artist: These people often have a love/hate relationship with money. They’re constantly struggling to make their finances work, but they often feel that caring about money means something bad.
The Tyrant: Price reports that this type hoards money and uses it to manipulate others. They may have everything they need, but they’re never comfortable with their lives because they fear losing control.
The Magician: Price defines the The Magician as the ideal money type. They’re aware of their circumstances and responsibilities and can see situations very clearly.
A fiduciary fee-only CFP® tries to see through the static to find out what you really need to create a solid financial life. But it might make sense to ask yourself a few questions before you and your planner sit down:
1. How would you describe your financial status right now?
2. What’s important about money to you?
3. What’s your family history with money?
4. What do you do with your money?
5. If money wasn’t an issue, what would you do with your life?
6. Has the way you’ve made your money – through work, marriage or inheritance – affected the way you think about it in a particular way?
7. How much debt do you have and how do you feel about it?
8. Are you more concerned about maintaining the value of your initial investment or making a profit from it?
9. Are you willing to give up that stability for the chance at long-term growth?
10. What are you most likely to enjoy spending money on?
11. How would you feel if the value of your investment dropped for several months?
12. How would you feel if the value of your investment dropped for several years?
13. If you had to list three things you really wanted to do with your money, what would they be?
