I had the best time last night!

[sabrinamari]

Two excellent things happened:

First, paganpilgrim came over to relax, catch up, and do some financial brainstorming with me. And after weeks of missing for each other's phone calls, I finally got to talk to shaminin.

Both of these things made me very happy.

Many of you know that paganpilgrim has had a rough few years, with many challenges to meet all lined up end to end. I am extremely proud of the way she has persisted, learned and grown through all of them, and last night she arrived at my house with a whole new world of possibilities opening before her.

Cleverly, she wanted to talk through some financial possibilities before making any serious decisions, and she, I and mage_imbroglio were able to brainstorm together to come up with a series of useful strategies, a list of questions for the Vanguard financial advisor she can meet with at work (go wild_place_king for pointing out that this is often a possibility) and a list of financial priorities.

It was sheer joy to be able to support her as she laid the foundation for a path that will help her thrive. I loved it. More than ever, this tells me that I need a career where I can help people do this in multiple areas of their lives. I just need to make it fee-based so it's sustainable and my own family can thrive as well.

Once we had nailed down her best options and thought through some investment possibilities (which she will now take to her Vanguard advisor for vetting) we relaxed and hung out and had some fun.

Then shaminin called and I got to talk to her for the first time in weeks. I've really missed her, so hearing her voice was wonderful. There are big doings in her life that promise to bring her greater joy and open up many possibilities. I am very happy for her, although some of her good fortune will take her a bit away from my neck of the woods. Nevertheless, I will adapt. I will turn it into an opportunity for growth and positive change.

Hopefully, later today I'll be able to continue my series on opening your own IRA.

wild_place_king had some great things to say that I hope to re-post first, and then I'll move in to discussing fund minimums and connecting with either a free or fee-based advisor if that seems like a path you'd like to take.

Comments

In Hindsight...

[wild-place-king.livejournal.com]

Yeah, in hindsight I should have stressed that if the company you work for has a 401(k) Plan and you are, or not contributing, you must be given an opportunity to talk with the investment professional who handles the Plan's investments.

If your employer adamantly refuses to allow or arrange for that to happen, a call to the Department of Labor may be in order.

That can have the result that the Plan gets terminated, or worse, so please be careful. Contact me and we can talk about the problem.

[paganpilgrim.livejournal.com]

So much thanks to you and Michael. I had a wonderful evening!

[otterdancing.livejournal.com]

"I am very happy for her, although some of her good fortune will take her a bit away from my neck of the woods. Nevertheless, I will adapt. I will turn it into an opportunity for growth and positive change."

And maybe an opportunity to come visit ALL of us out here!!!!!