It is hard to believe that just a few weeks ago I was too scared to tackle my own retirement plan—and now I’m starting to manage my own investments, thanks to the advice of my Money Fix expert, Manisha Thakor.I've increased our monthly contributions to my work retirement plans, and I've embarked on the long process of becoming more educated about the investing world. Not only did I learn a lot from Manisha, I learned a great deal from other readers who commented on my first post.
One thing that opened my eyes was a comment from a reader who made a statement about financial planners being unreliable salespeople. I'm not sure where to begin looking for a reputable planner, but I feel like I want to (and need to) in order to really be on track with our investments. This DailyWorth post has helped.
Meanwhile, I’ve set written goals and timeframes in order to be on track by the end of the year. I'm also going to go over our budget again, cutting back in certain areas and putting more cash toward our future. Our goal is to save at least 20% of our combined income every month.
I think the most important thing my husband learned from the Money Fix is that he needs to be more involved in our finances! I have been maintaining everything by myself, from household bills, to our budget and businesses, etc.
He just assumed I could manage it all by myself (even though I asked him repeatedly to participate). Now, we have made a pact to set monthly family meetings to go over our finances and investments together.
I know this only a few paragraphs about our lives, and there is so much more that adds to the complexity of it, but what I would love to pass on from my experience is this: Don't wait.
No matter how intimidating investing seems, at least take the small steps to get started, then make a point to continue educating yourselves to stay on top of it. If I did it, anyone can!
Cheer her on. What investing advice would you share with Julie?
