by Katherine Dean, CFP
Originally published on LinkedIn
Are you ready to be the Chief Financial Officer of Your Life?
So, here’s the deal. When we become adults and start managing our finances we rarely have been taught even the simple task of balancing a checkbook. At least I know I figured it out along the way along with many others. A bounced check, a late payment & fumbling along the way until the lessons had been learned. But the truth is that if you approach your personal finances at the CFO it takes on a whole other role.
For instance, A CFO of a large company is responsible for:
- Planning the financial direction of a company within the guidelines of staffing, expenses & budgeting
- Operations: Human Resources, Benefit Plans, Investor Relations, Legal, Tax & Treasury
- Financial Reporting: Report to the board of directors profit/loss statements
- Risk Management: Best practices for risk mitigation, maintain appropriate insurance coverage, Record Keeping & Audits
- Funding: Monitor Cash Balances & Cash Flows & Debt & Financing
It is truly amazing when we start to think of our personal financial life in this manner. The truth is we are the CFOs of our lives with almost all the same responsibilities as a CFO of a large company!
- We plan the financial direction of our lives… Expenses, budgeting, activities, travel, retirement, medical, financial goals
- We plan all operation s of our lives…what is the best health plan option, do we take vision & dental, where is the best place to invest money, how much should we be putting in our retirement, what are the best things to do for tax deductions, the paperwork needed for my accountant during tax season, am I keeping accurate paperwork
- We are accountable monthly for financial reporting & making sure our bills are paid, that money is allotted to certain accounts & we are on track
- We are responsible for risk management by the life insurance we buy, the auto insurance coverage, umbrella policy & the deductibles we keep on each insurance.
- We are the key source in funding our entire financial life. We need to monitor and emergency fund, a vacation fund, dream account, retirement, college education planning, house fund etc.
So, how different than the CFO of a company are we really? We aren’t that different at all! Yes, of course the income/expenses aren’t the same but we have the same responsibilities! Including the same decision making in our own financial lives.
By making the choice to be the CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER of your life, how do you think that change the way you look at your Financial Life?
To put things in perspective… shifting to the Savvy Financial Officer in your home finances is a process. The fact is that 65% of women run their family household finances & 60% of all wealth in the United States is controlled by women. These are incredible stats! Even though women have a dominant role with household finances, 61 percent of women wish they had more confidence in their financial decision-making and 63 percent wish they knew more about financial planning and investing.
So, let’s take our personal finances seriously and know that you can have an awesome plan in action for your financial now & financial future! By speaking with a trusted advisor & putting your plan in action you can alleviate stress & anxiety while building a concrete financial foundation & exciting financial future!
Cheers CFO!
~Katherine