CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® at Corebridge Financial Helping individuals and families find confidence, clarity, and direction in their financial lives.
What does it mean to be a good steward of what you've been given? I was hanging out with some friends last week and discussing what this means in our lives. One friend pointed out how it's so easy for us to openly talk about the ways we steward our time, our efforts, our talents, etc. And yet, we DON'T talk about how we steward our money. Money is not the only resource we have to steward in our lives, nor is it necessarily the most important. But, it is such a significant factor that leads us to make decisions in our lives. What job do I take? Do I look for a new job? Where should I live? Where should we go out to dinner? Where are we going on vacation this year as a family? What gifts am I going to give for Christmas? Whether intentional or not, our money has a massive impact on all of these decisions that we make day in and day out. Yet, so many of us live in isolation in our financial lives, and thus the thought process with which we make some of these decisions. I wonder how it would reshape our lives if we were an open book with at least one close friend regarding our finances? I wonder how that would change the way we make decisions about how we spend, save, invest, or give away our money? If we're honest with a friend willing to tell the truth to us, I'd bet we'd hear a mix of the following: - "I think you're spending your money in a way that aligns with your life's priorities." - "Maybe you shouldn't buy that house because that will have an impact on your ability to travel with your family like you've talked about for years." - "You know, you say you're really passionate about this cause, but you aren't giving to it. Maybe you should consider giving towards that moving forward?" - "You have more money than you think you do. Maybe there isn't a need to feel as stressed as you do about your finances?" - "Look at all of the progress you've made to get out of debt. Congrats!" At a minimum, I bet we'd feel a sense of feeling known, and encouraged, if we were willing to dive into this area of our lives with a close, trusted relationship. Most areas of our lives only get better when in the context of community, rather than isolation. I hope one day in our country, it would feel a bit more normal for our friends to understand all of the significant areas of our lives more fully, including our finances. *Disclaimer: I am not practicing what I preach here. It's so tough to initiate this dialogue, even with some wonderful friends in my life. But, this post is holding myself accountable to the thought as it's the life I'm striving towards.
