What Inspired Me to Become a Financial Planner
First, thank you for taking the time to check out my blog! Over time we are going to have a lot of great information posted here so be sure to check back periodically.
That said, I wanted to first take a little time to let you know more about me, and more specifically, why I became a financial planner.
From a very young age, I was fascinated with how money works, the impact and connection the economy had on it, and what I should be doing with it (besides spending it of course). When I was in high school, I took a class where we had to create a mock portfolio and our grade was based on how we did versus the rest of the class. I ended up getting an “A” and winning the overall return! That was when I realized my passion for investing and that I was good at it!
When it came time to pick a major in college, Finance & Economics were the clear choices for my majors. As I progressed and learned more, it became clearer that I was on the right path. After graduation, I was fortunate enough to land here at Barnum Financial Group. It was here that I was taught that there is more to money than just investing and learned the importance of financial planning.
I couldn’t have picked a better career path for myself as I love what I do and the people I work with. Most importantly, I love helping my clients to ensure they have a secure and clear path to financial success, and that they know, along the way, that their families are protected.
Lessons I Have Learned Along the Way
Second, one of the biggest parts of what I enjoy about my career is the education I provide to my clients. With that in mind, I thought I would take a minute and share some of the most important lessons I’ve learned over my time at Barnum.
One of the most important things I can share with you is to make sure you pay yourself first! A primary goal of most people is to have the ability to retire and do so in a way that maintains, if not enhances, their current lifestyle. By making sure to pay yourself, you greatly increase the likelihood of being able to do so. A great piece of advice I once received was to dedicate a minimum of 20% of your paycheck to savings for your future.
With savings in mind, that brings me to my second point, make sure you have an emergency fund established. As I have continued to grow my business and help more clients, I have seen a remarkable number of unexpected things happen in their lives. By making sure that these individuals had enough money set aside in a safe account, they were able to deal with those issues, and because of the disciplined approach to savings, were able to replenish the emergency fund they used.
Understanding that unexpected things can and do happen all the time, that would bring me to the last point for today, you are your biggest asset! When I ask people, what is your biggest asset, the answer is typically a retirement account, a house, a business, or something along those lines. When you take a minute and think about it, who is the one funding the retirement account, paying the mortgage on the house, and running the business on a regular basis? YOU ARE! It is incredibly important that you protect yourself. Life insurance, long term disability, long term care insurance…all of these are necessary to ensure you and your family are protected, and if something did happen, any of those “big” assets can continue to be funded or replaced.
Lastly, I just wanted to thank you again for taking some time out of your day to check this out. Check back soon as I will continue to post more information like this, along with posts like best financial practices for different points in life, answers to questions that I get asked about all the time, and occasionally just some fun topics about who knows what!
Stay well!
CRN202409-856990