All of us know we should have a financial plan for our families, but few of us have taken the necessary steps to put a plan in place. It’s hard, tedious, and sometimes boring work. And you have to talk about dying. Who wants to talk about dying?
As a result, important questions are left unanswered. Notice, what I just said. The questions go unanswered, not unthought.
Now, here’s the kicker. These are things your husband or wife is thinking about anyway. Because these questions haven’t been answered, the constant haunting of these worries keeps your spouse’s brain preoccupied. That means they can’t think about anything else. Enormous brain power, both conscious and unconscious, is used up working through various life scenarios. If this happens, your spouse will think, “Here’s what I’ll have to do.”
Questions like, Who will take care of the children? Who will pay for college? Will there be enough money? These and a million other questions have to be answered.
That’s why I want to give you another way to think about it. As a husband and wife, father and mother, you need to prepare for the future of your family. The only problem is that no one can tell the future. So, we have to prepare for a number of things that “might” happen in our future. What happens “if…” This is what a good financial plan is all about. Once these questions are answered, your mind is free to think about other things. Not only that, but your spouse knows you love them enough to deal with the hard work of financial planning. This is what makes financial planning sexy.
Once you answer these questions, your spouse will have the time and energy to think about other things—namely you. What you do with all of that attention is up to you.
So, grab all of the files you need, call your financial planner, and work it out. Sign your will and put it in a safe place. Then, grab your spouse and start living. After all, you’ve just signed a huge reminder that you won’t live forever. Don’t squander a moment of it!
