This is a sponsored post for SheSpeaks/Prudential.
How does it make you feel when someone mentions the word money? Do you squirm? Do your eyes light up? Do you want to hide your head? Personally, it makes me break out in hives. When someone gives me money that’s another story! But at the end of the day, I have issues discussing the word & use of money.
I have to be totally honest with you. When I first thought about meeting with a financial professional to discuss my finances I was scared. I was scared to hear that I’m behind with saving. How I still don’t have life insurance. 401K? What’s that? I know I’m not the only one with the fear factor because research shows women are way behind men in taking control of their finances! For example, on average women have 30% lower retirement balances than men!1
Those are my money issues. But let me share with you the great things I learned from my Prudential Financial Professional, Maddie Brooks. Our meeting was nothing like I expected. As soon as I started speaking with her I felt comfortable and at ease. We focused on creating a financial strategy that I could feel good about and took things one step at a time.
I started working with Prudential last fall and every time I revisit my financial plan I walk away more empowered than before. It’s been more rewarding for me than they’ll ever know! Learning the ins and outs of managing money as a woman who really knew nothing has been a profound experience.
The 1st step for me was making the time to have the conversation. Let’s face it. The biggest stress in marriage revolves around money. We’ve all been there! I had to have my husband in the same place so he could share our personal family financial details. It was really kind of sad not knowing the details of our family’s finances, but it was easier to talk about them with a 3rd person a part of the conversation. I was timid at first but by the end of the conversation, I knew more than I thought.
The biggest takeaway from my Prudential Financial Professional was the fact that I need to get life insurance. I honestly didn’t believe that I was ‘worth’ that much considering my husband was the breadwinner. She helped me understand the value of my worth is so much more than a load of laundry healthy dinners on the table. When you think about the responsibilities we take on as women you will see that we are all very worth it. Heaven forbid something happened to me. How much would it cost my family to afford all the responsibilities I have? Cooking, cleaning, taking care of the dog, running kids to school and practice. All of those things are priceless! But also expensive if you have to hire help. Prudential has a tool called the Value of All You Do that you can use to estimate the value of everything you do for your family, which helps you know how much life insurance you need.
My meeting with Maddie helped me with a game plan and now I feel more in control of my financial future. Are you ready to get started? You’re worth it.
To connect with a Prudential Financial Professional near you for a complimentary and confidential introductory meeting, like the one I had, just click here to fill out a quick form and you’ll hear from Prudential soon!
Source: Prudential Retirement analysis reflecting defined contribution plan balances of Prudential record-kept plans as of December 31, 2015.
