Got My Mind On My Money ... Part DUH

I just got back from meeting with a financial advisor. (See back story here.). You will never know how many times I tried to back out. I was the Queen of Excuses. But I did it, and I survived.

It went well. My retirement plan is a little more streamlined, and my funds are allocated more appropriately. Apparently, my age has bumped my risk-tolerance level from Aggressive Investor to Moderate Investor. That feels a little strange to me.

The rep I met with was very nice. And very young. I think he might have been about 15 years old. His business card shouts "Senior Investment Specialist." I couldn't help but think, "Senior in what? High school?" Ugly, I know. I was his age when I started investing with his firm. You know, the age where 40 seems old? Now, I'm 41. So, to him, I'm sure I looked like a muddled old lady trying to figure out her finances. I could tell he was uncomfortable asking age-related questions. He got especially flustered when he had to ask how long I expected to live after I retired. (Forever, baby!)  It was somewhat humorous watching him squirm and stutter. Did I mentioned he looked like a Ken doll? But, that's beside the point.

So awkward moments aside, today was a learning day for me. I discovered that my husband and I need to sit down and talk more about our retirement plans. I also learned that I am not as financially literate about the investment world as I would like to be. Lastly, I learned that a lot of our fear and lack of literacy in certain areas is due to a communication barrier. My financial advisor spoke quickly and tossed around industry jargon that reverberated in my ears like a foreign language. I felt uncomfortable and at a disadvantage. I let it keep  me from asking all of my questions and understanding all of the answers to questions I did ask. It got me thinking about how I communicate with people, especially young people. Perhaps their lack of understanding and learning has to do with how I presented information.

The bottom line is that I'm glad I went. I consider it time well spent because I stepped out of my comfort zone and grabbed an opportunity to educate myself about something important to me.

Thanks for reading ... it keeps your Mind Full of Literacy!