From
The
Frontporch
A Visit with the Editor
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FROM THE FRONT PORCH continued
FROM THE FRONT PORCH continued
From Goals to Gains
by Rebekah King
Happy New Year 2021!!! Goodbye and good
riddance to 2020, where our clever hopes of
perfect vision became blindsided! Bam! I dare
say that our entire world is ready to move on
to lists of all things new! I’m not going to even
ask if you have kept the goals past day one...
but in a general round about way, I hope we
all journey forward into the year with some
worthy goals to accomplish some abundant
gains. From goals to gains is at the top of my
list!
Surrounded in all of the important things
of life in a loving family, a safe, peaceful home
and fulfilling work, my heart smiles. With the
foundational present accomplished, my goals
for 2021 seek to establish some foundational
gains for the future. With eyes wide open in
nearing 5 decades of life, I am ready!
As a society, we love to ask, “How are you?”
“How are the children, the grands, the fam?”
Most of our conversations in passing end
here. Once some of us start talking about our
families it’s all over! Ha! Don’t even ask me
about my boys; I could talk about them all day!
However, I feel it’s time we start asking
loved ones about the deeper issues of life in
sharing our well-being beyond the physical.
Growing our relationships into the state of our
mental, emotional, spiritual and even financial
wellness would strengthen our days, I feel.
Imagine asking a loved one, “How are your
finances?” And just like that...silence. No one
likes to talk about money; yet money rules the
world. No one likes to talk about money; but
everyone uses it every single day. It would
seem that a universal matter would become
a universal talking point? From my vantage
point, a running dialogue wherein we are
comfortable talking about money would be a
lifesaver for so many. Truly I wish I had known
earlier what I know now.
From our homes, to our schools, to our
communities, a rare few talk about financial
health. Studies show that the leading cause
of divorce is money problems, go figure. With
increasing costs, soaring debt, and rising
insecurities all around, perhaps if we started
talking about our finances, then we would
become better managers of our money?
Accountability remains a great motivator!
So how is it? How is my financial health?
Well, my portfolio records a mom of five,
homeschooling mom of fifteen years, a career
mom all in... Once that career ended with
a transfer of accounts to a single mom with
five sons all living at home while I work from
home, the sum tallied a report reading, “You
are screwed!” Ha!
After living all of the, “what not to do’s,”
I’m ready to live the, “what to do’s!” And I am
super excited to get started! A day late and
a dollar short, I’m privileged to meet many
people who inspire my new goals for gains!
No matter the person asked, the general
principles of financial health remain the same
as follows in no particular order:
• Get Started!
• Make a plan.
• Stay invested for the long term.
• Slow and steady wins the race.
• Get to work. There’s nothing wrong with a
second job to catch up.
• Eliminate debt.
• Pay extra with each mortgage
payment. A little bit goes a long way!
• Max out any employer offerings for your IRA,
401(k), stocks, etc.
• Streamline your budget; cut the extras.
• Start saving. Pay yourself first.
• Build an emergency fund to cover six
months of expenses.
• Live within your means.
Living in our resort / retirement
community, I’m inspired by our retirees every
single day! They are my absolute favorites!
With a settled, peaceful calm anchored in
tested strength, they’ve put in the time to have
some time! After conquering career goals, the
gains are now enjoyed, and this makes me
so happy! How I love learning from my dear
friends who mentor my journey.
Unless you were born with a silver spoon
in your mouth or win the lottery, you pretty
much have to put in the hard work and
discipline to make it happen. Remember the
saying, “No pain, no gain!” They say there’s a
better chance of getting struck by lightening
than of winning the lottery, buy hey my mom
got struck by lightning, so maybe I have a
higher chance? Ha! I doubt it.
Since the odds are against me as I’m late
to the game, I’m encouraged that the advice is
the same for those both early and late. And that
advice encourages—Just get started! Establish
your goals and start making the gains.
If you are like me and don’t know where
to start, then make a call to a local financial
planner. As fees and specialties vary with
each advisor, do your homework around
town. Knowledge is power and asking the
right questions can establish trust in moving
forward! My friend Ed Hill, owner of Edward
Hill Wealth Management, shares that the meet
and greet in his office is complimentary; you
can read his story starting on the Front Page.
And as always, if you are brave enough to fly
solo, then soar, my friends! You’ve got this!
In this new year, I’ll be making a visit to see
Ed who I hope can handle all the strategy while
I care for my greatest investments in my family
and community. I laugh in remembering one
time while I was out and about with my sons,
a friend said, “There’s your 401(k) right there!”
Ha! That made me laugh as I enable my sons’
with a lifetime of experience recording both
loss and gain, and I’m so excited to see the
dividends flow as they grow!
So this is the year! I’m going for it! From
insecurity to security, from goals to gains, I’ve
secured all of the important investments in a
life grounded in love, joy and peace; now it’s
time to secure my financial future. In this new
year 2021, I’ll be starting a new account rolling
over the title from, “I’m Screwed!” to “I’m
started!” Let’s do this! Happy beautiful New
Year to all! Cheers! ☐ Photo Credit, Eden Holt.
Rebekah with her sons.
No. 141 The Pinehurst Gazette, Inc. p.3