(BPT) - Your financial health impacts your life, not only in the way you live today and in the future, but in the legacy you leave behind to those you love the most. Whether you’re paying student loans, buying spin classes, or caring for an aging loved one, the way you live today and in the future is shaped by your financial health.
As a recent national Guardian survey, “Millennials and Money: Understanding What Drives Financial Confidence,” shows, millennials want and need both digital and human experiences to be financially confident. While leveraging the wealth of information at your fingertips, smartphones may equate to smart planning, but the role of the advisor is also essential in developing — and sticking to — a financial plan that will help you achieve both your short- and long-term goals. In fact, one in three unadvised millennials report that they are likely to begin working with a professional advisor in the next 12 months. The good news for millennials in the West is that they are in good company: Residents across all generations in the West report they are on track to meet their financial goals more than others across the nation.
When breaking the data down by region, the study finds 81 percent of those in the West do financial planning and that a higher proportion of West Coasters have a financial plan created with an advisor than residents in other areas of the U.S.
That’s all good news, but while the region remains ahead of other areas in recognizing the importance of financial advisor support, not everyone in the West utilizes the support a financial advisor provides. While online planning tools and other digital platforms can assist with financial planning, residents of the West, including millennials, say they are open to attending an in-person financial seminar. Whether you’ve been using a financial advisor for years, or you have never thought about meeting with one, working with an advisor can help make sense of all the options available to you and tailor them based on your individual objectives. Here are five financial tips from local experts to help you establish both protection and growth strategies that will help you create and meet your financial goals:
1. Live within your means. Many people across all income levels never sit down and actually create a budget, much less stick to one. Your financial advisor can help you do this by providing clarity into your ongoing expenses and income to give you a baseline of your budget and how much you can spend while still living within your means month after month.
2. Create a plan that positions you on offense and defense. Misty Weltzien of Pacific Advisors in Los Angeles knows that having a detailed financial plan that clearly states your goals can lead to increased confidence. “So much so, when it comes to overall financial confidence, millennials across the U.S. say having a detailed financial plan is equally as important to them as getting a bonus at work,” Weltzien says. Your financial advisor can work with you to create a plan that clearly states your goals and how you’ll meet them, including offensive methods to proactively grow or invest your money, as well as defensive tools for protection, such as life insurance or disability income insurance.
3. Instill some liquidity in your financial strategy. Growing your income is only one part of the puzzle; you need to have the ability to utilize it as well. “Create a separate savings account outside of your normal banking institutions that you don't have readily accessible,” says Travis Scribner of WestPac Wealth Partners in Las Vegas. “With the rise of mobile banking it has become increasingly easy to move money from one account to another, by having it in a separate institution that you don't have an app or debit card for it reduces the likelihood of impulse purchases.”
4. Develop strong savings habits. It’s never too early or too late to start utilizing the value of saving. Start good savings habits with your very first paycheck by setting up automatic or direct deposits to your savings accounts, retirement accounts, etc. and make sure that the total is as close to 15 percent of your gross as possible. If you have questions about ways in which you can strengthen your savings, your advisor can help.
5. Prioritize protection. The most financially confident Americans know that putting protection first in the form of income protection through individual disability insurance, and life insurance, builds a foundation of financial peace of mind today and tomorrow. Millennials know this to be true too, with 54 percent of millennials prioritizing protection over saving and investing (46 percent).
Start focusing on your financial future today
Across the West, many people have already seen the benefits a financial advisor can provide, but if you have yet to work with one, an advisor can help you prioritize essential protection and growth strategies based on your individual needs. In addition to utilizing online tools to manage your personal finance, having a detailed financial plan can increase your overall confidence in achieving your goals. Find an advisor in your area and meet with them for a brief conversation and visit www.livingconfidently.com for more insights and tools to start today.
