Saturday, February 20, 2016

A healthy balance


Every day I have this opportunity to peek into people's financial and their personal lives. One thing I have learnt is that life happens, people change and life changes. What is true today, may not be true tomorrow. Yet, we are always so smug in our present situation, that we fail to plan for the unseen events. A newly wed couple is definitely not thinking of getting a divorce, but 15 years down the lane - you never know  the unspoken or unthinkable event  may be a reality.We can never be truly prepared for what is going to happen, but on the same note, it doesn't hurt to prepare for the worst.

Money is almost as necessary to living as oxygen.It may not bring you happiness, but it will keep you alive and make being miserable more bearable. Poverty is no fun, debt is inebriating. Just try and be in the shoe of a single parent struggling to meet ends, trying to stay afloat, to understand how important it is to have the  financial security.  Yet to find the fine balance between living comfortably and being an insecure hoarder is not an easy task. The best of us are trying to find balance in life in all aspects of our lives.

At the risk of sounding preachy, I have realized in the past three years working in a financial sector that :

1: Life happens, nothing can prepare you for it. Wealth can evaporate - all you need is an unfortunate event - a divorce, an illness, loss of employment and all your savings are gone and none of us are immune to it.
2. There is no shame in starting over -and no matter how difficult it is, downsizing, lowering your living standards is at times  the only way to rebuild your life.  Have your own individual financial identity.
3. How you deal with your finances is often how you deal with your relations.
4. Wealth is no guarantee of  happiness. So, while you are busy making money, don't forget to live your life. Not all good things in life cost money and not all with flashy cars and big houses are financially sound.
5. Your time is your biggest asset - use it wisely. Invest in education, invest in relation and like all things we cherish, respect your paycheque - because, no one is going to pay your bills for you. Unfortunately, living costs money and bills don't stop coming and at times all you can do is keep yourself afloat.











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