It’s amusing to me at some level that so many people are afraid to work with me. You’d think I showed up to meetings dressed like a creepy clown or worked in a haunted castle or told everyone they had to give up Netflix and Starbucks. ;o)
The truth is, if you’re feeling nervous or anxious about meeting with a financial planner, you’re not alone. I hear from so many people that they were afraid to pick up the phone and make that call!
The most common reason seems to be that everyone is afraid that they are going to be judged. But a financial planner should never make you feel judged. (If they do, they’re not the right professional for you and you should find somebody else, pronto!) This would be like a therapist judging you when you tell them about your problems or a doctor judging your weight when you come in to get weight loss help. It’s ridiculous and unproductive — and really doesn’t happen that often!
But because people are afraid I’m going to judge them, they actually scramble around and do stuff in anticipation of being judged. They might open a bunch of accounts and then not do anything with them, or pay down their debt using their cash reserves, etc.
These aren’t great decisions because they’re made for emotional reasons, not logical ones. And I (and I think most of my colleagues) would prefer you wait and talk to me before making any big money changes like that.
To be completely honest, it also totally wears me out when some people start off our meeting all defensive, like I am going to tell them they are doing something wrong… Sometimes these people act like they don’t really “need” planning, and they could figure this stuff out for themselves… But I always say, even if you eat right and exercise, you still need to go to the doctor to make sure everything is working correctly. The same is true with your money.
That’s because financial planning isn’t about judgment, it’s about making a game plan. You’d never work with a personal trainer and expect to feel judged; you go to them for next steps and how to move forward in the best way.
Just know that whatever anxiety you’re feeling about your money, working with a financial planner should be a safe space where you can work out a plan so that you never have to feel anxious about it again.
If you’d like to book a judgement-free introductory call with me, click here.