3 Financial Planning Tips from a Self-Help Junkie

By: Kerrie Beene, CFP®
Valiant, Oklahoma

I am a self-help junkie.  I love reading self-help books, listening to podcasts, watching you-tube videos, and following a lot of influencers on social media.  I could write a really long post telling you all about some of the great things I have learned and things that have changed my life for the better.  But instead, I want to list 3 of the biggest things that have truly helped me change for the better.  

  1. Surround yourself with New People! (Particularly, people who push you to grow) - Blah, blah, blah…. I know I have heard this a lot. I have read it in books, hear it on podcasts, and see it on videos.  I have also learned a lot from those I have been around over the course of my life. But recently by circumstance, I have been surrounded by new and different people. I didn’t realize the impact it would have on me.  New people can see things in you that others have grown accustomed to. Also, those books, podcasts, and videos aren’t real human interaction. Find some new people that will push you! One new person in my life helped me recognize a weakness, and this is how I get to Tip #2.

  2. Don’t have “Analysis Paralysis” I overanalyze everything and I always have. I overanalyze new projects, conversations, life decisions, financial decisions, and I could go on and on…. I think about things too long and I often put them off until they are perceived as “perfect.”  And since they will never be perfect, I never do them or procrastinate too long. But recently, one of my colleagues said a phrase that plummeted this weakness to the forefront of my mind….she made the comment to not let something cause me to have “analysis paralysis.”   What the heck does that mean? It basically gave my overanalyzing disease a name. I diagnosed myself, with the help of her, and can openly admit that I have “analysis paralysis” How can something so simple, cause so much procrastination. This phrase has given me the ability to recognize when I am overanalyzing and not being productive.  Be careful and watch out for “analysis paralysis.”

  3. Hire a Coach This is another one of those things I have heard a lot over the years.  In life, sometimes we need people to push us to do things we need to do.  Often, these can be things we know but just aren’t doing. As a financial planner, I assumed I could handle all my finances on my own.  This has turned out not to be true. I will say I have done a fairly decent job. However, I have recently been working with one of the advisors on our team.  When she walked through my plan, I realized that I have given other people great advice but had ignored some very important areas in my own life. Money causes emotions and fear in us sometimes.  I knew in the back of my mind I needed to do some of these things but kept putting them off because I didn’t want to deal with having to face some of my own issues. Having a coach in any area of your life is worth it!