Small Financial Mistakes - Big Results

Yesterday, I had an awful migraine. 

In the morning, it started out as a slight headache, but progressed throughout the day until I was suffering from throbbing pain in my head. The end result was going to bed at 7pm, taking Ibuprofen, and fortunately, sleeping it off. 

Today, I attempted to diagnose what caused the migraine. 

In the past, I’ve suffered from debilitating headaches due to stress. Almost every time one would come on, I could tie it directly to some sort of traumatic event.

Yesterday was different. I had a relatively low amount of stress in what seemed to be a low-key day at the office. 

However, as I journeyed back through the day in my mind, I could trace a handful of contributing factors. 

I worked out two straight mornings with shoulder-heavy exercises while not taking any time to stretch that part of my body. 

The weather had gotten warmer and I had neglected to increase my water intake. 

My work day was unusual in that I didn’t have any in-person meetings, but spent almost the entire day staring at my computer screen with only a few, short breaks. 

I had also had a packed week previously and wasn’t fully rested. 

Any of these factors have occurred before but haven’t led to a migraine on their own. Put them together, and it would seem to be a bad combination with painful results. 

As the phrase goes, “death by a thousand cuts,” can happen when we aren’t paying attention. 

I’ve heard a similar story about the Three-Mile Island nuclear disaster, where a number of smaller mistakes resulted in a catastrophe. 

Unfortunately, not all situations can be quickly solved by sleeping it off! 

One such scenario involves your financial future. 

I got the question earlier this week from a client. “Is there anything I’m not doing that I should be considering?”

It’s a great question acknowledging an eternal truth; we don’t know everything! 

Mistakes can happen for a lot of reasons, but a leading cause is we simply don’t know what to do. 

Whatever your financial goal, whether it be saving for a child’s education, purchasing property, or retiring, there are plenty of small mistakes which can derail your progress. 

However, it can be hard to identify them without the help of a professional. 

Take my headaches for example. I think I know what’s causing them, but if they persist and I can’t easily determine the cause, I will go see a doctor. 

In the same vein, a financial planner can assist with pinpointing strategies and action steps to implement so you can pursue your goals. 

If this is something you would like to discuss, you can schedule a time to chat with me by clicking here.