I was at Barnes and Noble the other day to see my poster in their window for my book signing. It was a very surreal moment that quickly ended as I creepily tried to climb behind the counter to get a better picture with my poster. After almost breaking the display, a very friendly and helpful employee got the poster out of the display for me. Anyway, during my time there my eyes caught a book titled We are Women, Celebrating Our Wit and Grit. You can guess I was drawn to it immediately and had to buy it.
The book features vintage photos of women with quotes to go along with them. It’s such a fun book to go through, so I figured I’d use it as inspiration for my next few postings. And what better quote to start with than this one:
“If you want anything said, ask a man.
If you want anything done, ask a woman.” Margaret Thatcher
Oh there are so many ways to go with this quote, and I think I’ll start with what my husband likes to do. Whenever we need something done, he will say “we need to do this.” Such as, “we need to call the cable company, we need to bring Duke to the vet, we need to clean out the closet.” And what I’ve come to realize is that the “we” really means you. So he is really saying “you need to call the cable company, you need to bring duke to the vet, you need to clean out the closet.” I guess it’s his nice way of nagging. But it all comes down to if I need something done, I do it, and this can be a good thing but it can also be a fault. It can be a fault because you get so used to doing everything yourself that when you actually need help, you won’t ask for it.
I can attest to this since we recently renovated our bedrooms in preparation for our baby coming. But this entailed cleaning out every dresser, armoire, closet, nook, and cranny, which means a lot of packing and lugging clothes into our basement. I am now eight months pregnant and all that carrying was a very bad idea for my back. I know I should of asked for help, but I felt bad asking for help and tackled it myself. And now that the rooms are done, we have to move everything back in. And guess what I should do? Ask for help, yet I won’t. Everyone keeps yelling at me to stop carrying large items, yet I keep doing it and keep getting back spasm after back spasm.
It is similar when we are dealing with our money, it can be uncomfortable to ask for help. It can be overwhelming to seek out a professional to ask some questions. And it can be just plain frustrating as heck to find the right one. Some people wait because they are embarrassed, others wait because they don’t know what to ask, and you might be waiting because you think I can do it on my own. Whatever the reason is, your life and your money are worth talking to a professional. If you spend $30,000 on a new bathroom, would you look online to figure out how to install a new sink and chance flooding the entire new bathroom? Probably not. So why DIY your finances or google search your next financial move if you’ve spent years saving up for your next goal: a new house, a vacation, retirement? Talk with a professional, please!
You are a woman, so I know you take charge. You are part of a bigger movement of women taking control over their finances, being an active member in the family’s financial decisions, and now you can be an advocate to speak with a professional.
Let me tell you about a woman, we will call her Anne, who came to us after having quite a mishap with her money. One day she went to the bank and started explaining how unhappy she was with the investment performance of her current advisor (who was not me) for her IRA. The bank teller sent Anne over to one of their advisors, who had her sign paperwork to open a new account and rollover her account so he can manage it. Now her current account was an IRA, but the new advisor set up a non-retirement account and had the money deposited into it. A few years later, she receives a notice from the IRS stating she owes them $50,000. You can imagine the shock on Anne’s face when she sees the number, there must be a mistake right? Because the advisor took all her money out of the IRA and had it deposited into a non-retirement account, she owed taxes on the entire IRA amount. And she had no idea that is what the advisor did.
Now Anne did meet with a professional, but unfortunately, they aren’t all gems. So when you do sit down with a professional, make sure they explain everything to you. And make sure you understand what they are saying before you agree to it. As you can see, mistakes with money can be extremely costly. So please don’t DIY it, google it, or just do what your neighbor is doing. Promise me, you’ll talk with an advisor first, one you are comfortable enough with to ask questions, and one who can explain it to you so you comprehend it.
To help get you to start taking action and getting it done, just click the button for a FREE, no obligation 10 minute call with me.