Money Talks

What is your money telling you? Is your checking account telling you that you're eating out way more often than you should? Is your mutual fund statement telling you that you should be investing more money on a regular basis? Is your savings account telling you that it's time to add to your emergency fund? Is your life insurance policy telling you that now would be a good time to revisit it? Money talks. It says a lot about who you are, what your dreams are, and how you'll attain them. How well you listen might very well determine whether you can reach your financial goals-for you and for your family. If you don't listen to what your money is telling you, reaching your financial goals-from buying your first home to taking your dream vacation to retiring comfortably (and everything in between)-can seem almost impossible. If you do listen, however, financial freedom-and all that entails-might well be yours for the taking. Regardless of where you are in life-a young professional just starting out, a seasoned executive getting closer and closer to retirement, or a retiree living out your Golden Years-it's important (crucial, really) to develop good financial habits, from saving to investing to planning for the future. Good financial planning need not be complicated or scary or daunting, but it does require some careful considerations that will help you prepare for every stage of life, save wisely, and retire well. In these pages, our team of financial advisors shares with you real-world examples of real people dealing with real-life money issues. You'll read stories about people from all walks of life as they navigate different economic circumstances and tackle different financial goals. These stories will help illustrate key aspects of financial planning, showing you what to do-and what not to do-as you go through life. Many of us figure that those big-ticket times-buying a house, paying for college, getting life insurance, funding retirement-are so far in the future that we can put off planning until tomorrow. Many of us believe we don't have enough assets to bother creating an estate plan. Some believe that, between our retirement plans and Social Security, we'll have plenty to live on when we quit working. But ignoring money, putting off financial planning, or avoiding writing a will or planning an estate is never a good idea. It's never smart to assume that everything will work out for the best when it comes to achieving your financial goals, funding your retirement, and preserving your legacy. In Money Talks, we'll tackle these issues, learning from the real-life situations of people just like you-because, unfortunately, bad things do happen to good people. Planning can make the difference between struggling through a catastrophe or gliding through tough times. Throughout the course of this book, you'll find a number of stories in which life's tragedies struck unexpectedly, and you'll see the different impacts those events had on people who had prepared and those who had not. Those lessons will go far in helping you to plan now, save wisely, and retire well.