Did you survive this dreaded holiday conversation?

Happy January! I hope you had a chance to take some time off for the holidays and get a little rest and relaxation before jumping into this New Year and new goals.

For many of us, the holidays mean a lot of time with family and friends! Parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and old friends gather to celebrate the season and take part in conversations that may only happen once a year–including those awkward discussions about politics or money…

As a financial advisor, my experience with the latter is a little different than most. People know I think about financial wellness more than the average person—hours a day more—so I tend to dodge unsolicited money advice.

Instead, I may take the role doctors typically find themselves in at these same gatherings: “Can you take a look at this bodily ailment so I don’t have to use up my deductible?”

While I don’t mind chatting with my friends and family about their financial concerns, it does make me wonder how many households across America are having similar conversations, but the money “expert” is only an overly confident do-it-yourself investor?

If over the holidays you heard about an impressive new investing strategy or a complex insurance solution with zero drawbacks, I simply want to invite you to pause.

While this may be the next best thing, it’s worth doing some personal research and talking to an actual financial professional about it before going all in.

In most cases, your Uncle Gary isn’t trying to steer you wrong, it may just be that what’s best for him isn’t what’s best for your life and individualized financial strategy.

But if you’ve been following me for a while, you already knew this. It’s no secret in my circle that financial solutions should be hyper-personalized to an individual’s life.

And if you’ve worked with me as your financial consultant, I’m hoping you handled those awkward money conversations with confidence, knowing your term life from your whole life and your stocks from your bonds.

(But if there were topics that left you with more questions than answers, let’s schedule a holiday recap call soon!)

Here’s to 2022 being the year you make your money a source of STRENGTH and COMFORT 🥂