Planning Your Finances vs Planning a Vacation

Winter vacation is over and we are back in the swing of things!

This winter break I decided to do something I swore I would never do: drive to Florida. I needed a vacation and some fun in the sun!

With the addition of twin babies, flying with four children, a double stroller, two car seats and a booster seat, two pack and plays and luggage for 6 people just didn’t seem feasible. So into the minivan we went for our 14 hour “adventure”.

We didn’t though just fly by the seat of our pants (excuse the pun), a lot of planning and logistics went into the trip: what is the best time to leave? Do we put a roof bag on the car or a hitch in the back? The roof bag though will impact our MPG, is it worth it to install a hitch and buy a cargo basket for the hitch? (We decided it was.) Do we stay in a hotel half way there? How on earth are we going to keep the kids occupied?

We made it to Sarasota in 15 hours with minimal potty breaks and complaining. Yay!

Then it hit us like a ton of bricks: we all got sick and it lasted all week. Vacation ruined. I guess our family was spreading more than just cheer at Christmastime.

With the amount of thinking and planning we put into our vacation and how quickly it got derailed, I started thinking: do Americans spend as much time planning their finances as we do our vacations? After all, retirement should be the longest vacation of our lives, right?

What happens if there’s a bump in the road when it comes to your finances? Are you prepared?

According to an online survey from MyBankTracker.com, One in 5 American adults spend more time planning their vacations than managing their finances.

The survey found that the demographic most likely to spend more time on vacation planning than finances — five times more, in fact — was the 25 to 34 age group.

Are you guilty of this? Be honest. It’s OK if you are! But you DO need someone who is consistently thinking about and managing your investments. Call me today and we can come up with a plan: you continue planning your vacations and I plan for your retirement.