Money Missteps: Mistakes Happen

We must accept that we are all human and we all make mistakes.  There is nothing wrong with making mistakes because it is a part of life and it is how we learn.  In my younger years, I thought it was a good idea to jump from the bleachers and hang from the basketball goal.  I believed I understood how to hook up the jumper cables to my car battery to re-start my car.  I no longer jump from bleachers (and in hindsight, I wonder why I ever thought it was a good idea) and I understand the red and black terminals on car batteries (it now seems so simple).  I messed up, but I learned. 

There are few things that are more personal than our finances.  If I asked someone to make a list of the top five most personal things, I would believe that along with family, religion and politics, finances will generally make the list.  This concern for our finances can become a problem because it can be very easy to deny that we could ever ‘mess up’ our finances.  While we can generally recover from a single financial mistake, if we continue to make mistakes and compound the problems created, they can soon become very serious issues that are extremely difficult to correct.

The Money Missteps are financial mistakes And How To Avoid Them is to acknowledge that we might make mistakes.  There is no shame in asking for help.  I asked the doctor to diagnose my ankle  He said I sprained it when I fell from the basketball goal to the ground.  I asked the mechanic to fix my car and explain what I did wrong.  He told me power surges can blow fuses.  Every single day, I get to help people make good decisions about their finances.  I help clients weigh their choices.  I provide additional options and alternatives.  It is my job to think about the problems and it’s my job to help my clients avoid them.

Do yourself a favor; accept that you could make a financial mistake.  Do yourself another favor; take steps to prevent or prepare for a mistake.  Finally, if you need help, it is okay to ask for it!