If managing your finances was a machine, then it might look a lot like the inside of an old-fashioned clock. Lots of gears turning in opposite directions, each one seemingly doing a different job and perhaps giving the appearance they are working toward opposite goals. Yet through the midst of all the twisting and turning, a properly constructed clock will accurately do its job; i.e., tell time – despite all the moving parts.
Saving, spending, investing, budgeting, and making good decisions with your money can sometimes feel like the inside of an old clock. Your money is always being pulled in a variety of directions. Save for the future! Spend today and enjoy the moment! Invest in your kid’s education! Buy a new car! Buy this, spend that, save this, invest in that!
In our August 2022 Newsletter, titled, “A Bucket Approach for Your Money”, we discussed a framework of how to organize your money into ‘buckets.’ The idea behind this framework is to make sure each dollar you have is properly doing its job, whatever it might be. For example, you might be saving for a variety of goals at the same time, such as retirement, kid’s education, a family vacation, or a new car. Similar to our clock analogy, all of these goals may feel like gears pulling your money in different directions. When lots of money goals seem to be bumping into each other, the key is to take a step back and make sure your money buckets are properly organized.
The goal with any clock is to make sure the time is accurate. Likewise, the goal with any money decision is to make sure the gears are all working together in the most efficient way; be that efficiency with taxes, income, growth, etc. In the realm of your money, if you have ever had the thought, “What should I do?”, let us help you organize your money and get all of the gears working together.