26 Feb 2016 Tornadoes and Clarity

We had some really bad weather this week in North Carolina (as did other places in the Southeast). Between tornadoes and severe thunderstorms and all that accompanies those events, it was probably enough to make you think more deeply than you’re accustomed to about what’s really important.

What can I do to make sure the people I love are okay? And how can I maximize the unknown time I have left with them?

We talk a great deal about what you might call the “nuts and bolts” of money–paying off debt, social security claiming strategies, understanding risk, and the importance of financial planning. It’s good that we do this, because the “nuts and bolts” of money is our area of expertise, and those are important topics to consider.

But, from time to time, it’s wise for all of us to pause and remember that at the end of the day, our relationship as humans with money is not built on “nuts and bolts.” Some of us might want to think that it is, that we have things under control with our spreadsheets and calculations and models and budgets. But if tornadoes can teach us anything, it’s that we live in a world of uncertainty.

Because of this uncertainty, I think the people who derive the most happiness from the money decisions they make are those who strive to keep these questions front and center each day:

What can I do to make sure the people I love are okay? And how can I maximize the unknown time I have left with them?

The beauty of these questions is that they force us to notice. To be aware, and intentional. And those are things “nuts and bolts” can never do.