effective planning

On Getting a Tattoo
graphic shows the word "REMEMBER" etched into a stacked stone wall

Friends, maybe you could have guessed this about me… but I don’t have any body art. (I seriously doubt this topic has ever crossed your mind, but here we are.) 

I’m considering the idea of a tattoo—just the idea. A tattoo is a somewhat permanent endeavor: that ink becomes a part of your human body, so it’s as permanent as any other part of these mortal vessels we have. 

To some, it’s a huge commitment. It’s etching a message that travels with you, for the rest of your life! I suppose it’s not something to take too lightly. 

But I can appreciate what a powerful tool it might be across someone’s lifetime. A tattoo may not be for everyone, but we certainly understand the impact that a phrase or image or saying can have on a person. 

As an alternative, you could also consider getting yourself a “mind tattoo.” This idea appears in Jennifer Pastiloff’s book On Being Human, and it was important to her as she worked to change her life. She chose guiding words—anything that helped open her up, when she felt like shutting down.  

So what would you pick, if you could get a key idea inked into your mind, a reminder that was always there when you needed it? 

The nice thing about a “mind tattoo” is that it can be your own little source of strength. No need to shout it from the rooftops or fight about it on the internet, huh? 

So may something helpful become etched in your mind. Keep an ear open for that mantra, any words that help you breathe more deeply when you’re feeling overwhelmed. 

Who knows what might stick with you?

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On Getting a Tattoo – 228Main.com Presents: The Best of Leibman Financial Services

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Time Well Spent: How to Create Time Dividends
photo shows a wooden sign on a table that says "Relax"

At 228 Main, we like to think about the many ways one might be rich. The primary task here is to work to grow your buckets, especially those long-term buckets that may serve you across many years.

Many of our clients, however, are also rich in another precious resource: time.

Just as a company may pay dividends to shareholders, the best investors seem to have a knack for finding those investments of time that pay dividends. And paying attention to our time could mean big things for our financial goals and wellbeing, after all.

Take a closer look at a day or a week in your life and how the hours go by. Is there a set place or routine for those things that may seem to eat up “too much time,” like bills or errands or banking or emails?

Activities like these can really frazzle a person, but when we zoom out, a lot them of them shouldn’t come as a surprise. These are everyday, regular activities.

Laura Vanderkam’s book Off the Clock explores our many approaches to the time we have—the skillful and less skillful ways we spend it! She’s got a system for reviewing our time:

“When you do an activity, ask yourself two questions: Will I ever do this again? If so, is there some system I could develop or something I could do now that would make future instances faster or easier?”

The good news is that there are plenty of ways that small interventions—just one little step, now!—can pay time dividends for weeks, months, or years into the future.

Some of our favorites include automatic deductions: monthly payments to take care of any outstanding debt, investment contributions, and retirement contributions. (“Set it and forget it” is a phrase you might hear for this strategy, although we prefer a more mindful approach!)

We are also big fans of quarterly reviews. It’s roughly how often we adjust portfolios, but the passing of the seasons is a wonderful excuse to think about the state of our goals and the bigger vision.

What else can you attach to the schedule? Could you leave yourself notes for things you’d like to review on your birthday, at the new year, before or after tax season, the start or end of an academic year?

A company may divvy up its profits to splash them around to shareholders on a regular basis, but as individuals we too might find those ways to get our time to pay us back later. It just takes a little forethought now.

Clients, want to talk about this or anything else? Call or write, anytime.

Investing includes risks, including fluctuating prices and loss of principal.

Dividend payments are not guaranteed and may be reduced or eliminated at any time by the company.

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Play the audio version of this post below:

Time Well Spent: How To Create Time Dividends – 228Main.com Presents: The Best of Leibman Financial Services

This text is available at https://www.228Main.com/.

Financial Inflammation

© Can Stock Photo / staras

Inflammation is one of the ways the human body deals with harmful stimuli. It keeps us healthy. Chronic inflammation is something else: it is thought by some to be at the root of many health challenges. It seems to be a factor in heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer’s, and other serious problems. Complex processes are difficult to manage, but some things have been shown to reduce chronic inflammation.

We use the concept of chronic inflammation to think about other areas of life, as well. Sometimes we meet people who have conflicting goals, plans that are unlikely to happen, unsatisfying spending habits, or ineffective use of wealth.
All of these are a form of financial inflammation.

The first step in dealing with inflammation is understanding its role in keeping us from healthy bodies or working financial plans. Then we can work on the things that are aggravating it and the things that may help control it.

1. Clarifying goals provides a focus that may guide our decision-making and reduce uncertainty.

2. Figuring out a path to get to your goals provides a roadmap to move you toward that desired future.

3. Fixing the things that interfere with progress, and finding ways to improve your progress, are ways to systematically reduce the financial inflammation in your life.

Vitality is a good thing in your financial plans and planning, as well as in life.

Clients, if you would like to talk about this or anything else, please email us or call.

Content in this material is for general information only and not intended to provide specific advice or recommendations for any individual.