{"id":823,"date":"2012-08-14T15:16:00","date_gmt":"2012-08-14T15:16:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/vhfinancialmanagement.com\/?p=823"},"modified":"2012-08-14T15:16:00","modified_gmt":"2012-08-14T15:16:00","slug":"knowing-no-and-yes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vhfinancialmanagement.com\/2012\/08\/14\/knowing-no-and-yes","title":{"rendered":"Knowing “No” and “Yes”"},"content":{"rendered":"
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I always enjoy the relaxed pace of summertime.\u00a0 This summer was especially great in terms of my time spent reading.\u00a0 I have really enjoyed some of the stuff I have read over the last couple months, which included everything from finance information to spiritual reading to more time just enjoying the Wall Street Journal.<\/p>\n

I am better off for spending this time absorbing words and information. \u00a0I picked up tips to help me improve as a fee-only financial planner, improve as a person, and I even learned some stuff that\u2019s just plain interesting.\u00a0 For example, did you know US Bronze medal holder for shot put, Reese Hoffa, can solve a Rubik\u2019s cube in less than a minute?\u00a0 He\u2019s a 315 pound puzzle geek!\u00a0 I didn\u2019t see that coming.<\/p>\n

The time I spent reading this summer didn\u2019t simply appear as an extra half hour in my day. My day wasn\u2019t extended to 24 1\/2 hours.\u00a0 I had to make time.\u00a0 I had to make time by saying \u201cno.\u201d<\/p>\n

The great thing about \u201cno\u201d is that it can lead to \u201cyes.\u201d\u00a0 I said no to something that led me to say yes to spending more time reading.\u00a0 I\u2019m a fee-only financial advisor, a business owner, a boss, a member of my church and community, and most importantly a father and husband\u2026..did I leave out golfer?\u00a0 There is always something on my plate.<\/p>\n

So, what does this have to do with financial planning?<\/p>\n

Often I speak with clients about choices.\u00a0 Financial choices are the cornerstone to financial health.\u00a0 Overspending and poor decisions are the obvious culprits of financial harm, but sometimes the wise steps are not always obvious (which is where I come in).\u00a0 Often our financial decisions need to be driven by \u201cno\u201d to lead us towards financial progress (\u201cyes\u201d).<\/p>\n

Saying no is not always easy.\u00a0 It\u2019s not always fun, but hopefully by saying no we can create more fun and enjoyment today and tomorrow.\u00a0 I\u2019m a big believer in balance, so I don\u2019t advocate totally sacrificing today (eating rice and beans today to enjoy fillet mignon tomorrow).\u00a0 We have to create balance. At least this goes for the folks I work with.\u00a0 For those who are deep in debt and have difficult financial situations, sacrificing today may be the only answer to digging out of a financial pit. \u00a0This relates to behavioral finance<\/a>: a topic I wrote about a few weeks ago.<\/p>\n

There is a copious amount of information written on the importance of saying \u201cno\u201d and how it will improve your personal life.\u00a0 Many of the same concepts can translate into improving our financial lives as well.<\/p>\n

Give it a try. See if \u201cno\u201d will lead to \u201cyes\u201d for you.\u00a0 Keep me posted, and feel free to share your thoughts.<\/p>\n

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