….So You Don’t Have To

I ran into a blog reader at a coffee shop yesterday. He said he felt conflicted about my recent post revolving around my preparations to ensure my family is financially cared for if I meet an untimely death. On one hand, he respects the fact that I'm trying to make sure my family is taken care of if/when I’m gone. On the flip side, though, he doesn't like that I "always think about money."

In a lot of ways, I get it. If one of our loved ones passes away, there's a deep and profound pain from the loss. Money doesn't matter. In fact, we'd happily give away every single cent we have if it meant we could bring that person back. But we can't. What's done is done. Then, after the initial shock, pain, and horror of loss starts to subside, the next wave of pain hits us: the financial consequences. The loss of income. The funeral expenses. The medical bills. The unknowns about where the money is, what's owed to who, and what ongoing bills need to be addressed. This is a level of stress that only those who have been through it can properly put into context just how heavy it can be.

Back to my friend's comment about me always thinking about money. I actually don't think about money all that much. I don't advise people to think about money all that much. Instead, I'm an advocate for thinking about the money.....so we don't have to think about the money. We address the needs and elephants in the room before life happens; then we can simply live and enjoy life.

This isn't about obsessing about money. Actually, the opposite. It's putting ourselves in a position that we never have to obsess about money. Think about it. The people who are locked in with their finances generally aren't constantly thinking, talking, or obsessing about money. Conversely, the people who don't take the reins on money are often the ones who are constantly thinking, talking, and obsessing about money.....for all the wrong reasons. It gets stressful. The pressure builds. They can cut the tension with a knife! When we don't think about money to some degree, we eventually land in a place where money is all we can think about.

I don't want you to think about money all the time. Heck, I don't even want you to think about it much at all. But in order to get there, we need to think about it and get it right now.....so you don't have to then.

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