When it comes to money, your values matter, why? If what you value most and your goals are not in alignment, you will experience a state of financial and emotional conflict. Your ideals and your actions will not match up, making it difficult to reach your goals.
Here’s an example of a value and a goal that would be in alignment. If family is important to you, then you value time spent together and want to take care of them. Your goal would be to protect your family financially if something should happen to you. Your actions might be to provide money to cover debts, pay for children’s college, replace your income, and provide end of life care. You would make saving for emergencies and retirement a priority, so you are prepared to live a dignified retirement, you would have legal documents and beneficiary designation in good order to protect your loved ones.
There is no right or wrong answer when it comes to personal values. They can be anything from Family, to Independence, to Education. There is no prerequisite to what you value; it is the culmination of your life experiences, education, and beliefs. The trick is which values are most important.
What are your top 5 values? You may be able to name two or three right off. Then you may go into a stupor, wondering “What else do I value”? Sometimes it is not easy to identify our top 5; it takes time and thought. If you find yourself stumped let me know; I can help.
Your decisions and actions have the most significant impact when it comes to reaching your goals. They have more to do with your financial success than the market or the investments you choose.
That’s why your values matter!
