Understanding How Your Feelings Impact Your Financial Decisions

Today’s Prep:

When you make a financial decision, does it start with looking at the numbers or asking the question, “How do you feel about that?” When should your feelings overrule the numbers, and what areas of your plan are most likely swayed by feelings and emotions?

 

Equipping Points:

Let’s talk about our feelings! Believe it or not, financial planning is not always about math and logic. Your feelings come into play, especially in regards to specific topics.

If you have a family home that you’ve lived in for the past few decades, do you downsize once the kids are out of the house? Or do you want to fix it up for when family comes to stay? Do you have land that has been in the family for a few generations? Sometimes the financial figures don’t make as much sense, but you need to ask, “How does it make me feel?”

What does your financial legacy look like and how important is it to you to leave money behind? Do you want to pass money to your children and grandchildren or to charities? With some of these decisions you’ll need to also consider the tax planning accordingly.

Depending on how you feel about your financial advisor, you may want to know every fine detail of the plan. Or, you may just want them to make the plans so you can be more carefree. Then, when it comes to market volatility, you’ll want to understand the true risks instead of just basing your decisions on feelings and knee-jerk reactions to a statement.

Listen to the entire episode or click on the segments below to hear more about a particular topic.

1:06 – Feelings get tied up in the family home.

3:36 – Make sure you can age in place and have the proper support around you.

4:06 – How important is it to you to leave a financial legacy?

6:25 – Do you want to know the fine details of your financial plan?

8:41 – How you feel about the market volatility can impact your decisions.

 

Related Resources:

How To Handle Financial Pain Points in Retirement

Tending To Your Retirement Garden

 

Today’s Takeaway:

[spp-tweet tweet=”A lot of times we make financial decisions on an emotional level and justify them rationally with the money side of things. If feelings weren’t involved in purchasing decisions, the economy would be different.

Eric Peterson“]

More From Eric:

The host: Eric Peterson - Contact - Call: (515) 226-1500

Subscribe To The Podcast:

Apple Podcasts  -  Google Podcasts  -  Spotify  -  Stitcher  -  iHeartRadio  -  TuneIn

Check out some other recent episodes

Retirement Planning Statistics

April 25, 2024

Retirement is closer than you think, but are you ready? With a staggering number of people lacking confidence in their retirement savings, Eric shares the misconceptions people have and what mistakes can derail someone’s financial future. Many people feel inadequate when it comes to what they have saved in their nest egg, uninformed about the pitfalls of target date funds, and unprepared about the reality of leaving the workforce earlier than expected.

Read More

Mailbag: Should I Fire My Broker?

April 18, 2024

Navigating life’s financial crossroads can be tricky, especially when it involves your financial future. In this episode of Retirement Ready, Eric addresses these complex issues head-on. How do you best evaluate your broker and your investment performance against the S&P 500? Eric says a lot of that comes down to setting expectations and understanding the risks. Then, Holly wants to know what to consider before making a midlife career change.

Read More

Putting It Off

April 11, 2024

We are all guilty of procrastinating from time to time. Financially speaking, though, this can get you into a lot of trouble. Let’s talk about the areas where it might feel better to kick the can down the road.

Read More

Common Scams to Avoid

April 4, 2024

Americans over 60 have lost more than $3.1 billion in various forms of fraud and scams in the last 12 months! Today we talk through some of the common scams people unfortunately fall for and how you can stay vigilant against it.

Read More

Financial Strategies: Agree or Disagree?

March 28, 2024

There are a number of financial ideas that people have differing opinions on. Eric shares today which of these he agrees with or disagrees and why.

Read More

Divorce Mistakes

March 21, 2024

Unfortunately, divorce happens. When it does, no one wants to make costly financial mistakes amidst an already stressful time. Today, we talk about the mistakes that can happen and how to avoid them when it comes to dividing up your assets with a spouse.

Read More

Villains of the Financial World

March 14, 2024

Just like some of these cinematic villains, some of these financial elements may have a bit of nuance and history that can make it hard to label them all good or all bad.

Read More

Uses for Life Insurance

March 7, 2024

When you’re younger, life insurance is often thought of as an income replacement as needed. But as you get older and into retirement, you might find other uses for life insurance. When thinking ahead for your estate and how it passes to beneficiaries, life insurance can prove to be a useful tool. Currently, the proceeds from life insurance are tax-free. How does that change how you include it in your financial plan? Eric outlines some of the options and benefits life insurance can provide.

Read More

Understanding Financial Risk

February 29, 2024

What kind of risks do you take in your financial life? As you get less comfortable with things like climbing up ladders and riding on skateboards, you might also become less financially risky. When you enter retirement, how you view your money in the market changes significantly from your working years. It’s important to look at your portfolio to ensure your investments match your risk tolerance.

Read More

Mailbag: What Financial Advice Should I Share with My Grandchild?

February 22, 2024

Why is retirement planning different than the “good old days” that our parents and grandparents experienced? Things like pensions, Social Security, and even RMD age have changed. Is your financial plan set up accordingly or is it in need of some changes to match?

Read More

Leave a Comment