Key Takeaways

• Big life transitions are filled with emotion—and often important money issues.
• You can’t control most of what life throws at you—but you can prepare yourself financially to handle the big joys and upsets.
• Reducing money worries can greatly alleviate the stress of major life transitions.

*** On a happier note, our annual BBQ spring cleaning event is coming up on Saturday, June 4, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. here in our parking lot.

On April 13, one of our partners experienced the joy of becoming a grandfather—on the same day that another of our partners unexpectedly lost a brother. From extreme joy to profound sadness, these kinds of transitions are part of the great circle of life.

For the newborn, it’s all about expectations—hopes and dreams that everyone around this baby has for the infant’s life ahead. For the grieving widow and family, it’s about dealing with the unexpected—total shock. No one saw death coming in this case.

For the newborn, there’s a lot of planning, joy and anticipation of “what can be.” For the new widow and extended family, there’s sadness, anxiety and shock. They’re trying to get through life day by day, hour to hour sometimes, as they deal with this difficult transition in their lives.

For newborns, we can set up 529 plans and other savings accounts right away to save for the child’s college education many years down the road. On the other side, the widow hopefully had life insurance or other contingency planning in place so at least income worries can be taken out of the equation during this difficult transition in her family’s life.

If we can just prepare for what life may throw at us and take money out of the equation, that can be a huge help when there are so many emotional factors in play and too many other things to get done during times of big transition. Adding money worries to the equation is often what puts people over the edge. 

The events of April 13 in our office gave me pause, just thinking about the cycle of life. They also made me realize how much of a role money plays in life and how important it is for us to be financially prepared for both the expected and the unexpected transitions that life throws at us. It just makes life a little simpler and less stressful.

On a happier note, we have our annual BBQ spring cleaning event coming up on Saturday, June 4, here in the parking lot from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. In addition to great food and music, you can come shred your old documents and donate electronics to the Salvation Army. Spring cleaning can be very liberating. It’s going to be fun, and we hope to see you there. Until next time, enjoy.

Gary

www.coylefinancial.com
800-480-7913 | coyle@coylefinancial.com

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