I know the title of this episode is a huge claim. But I want to tell you why I wholeheartedly believe that financial planning can change a family tree, and what I mean by that.
Now, I’m not talking about having a goal of amassing millions and millions of dollars that you can pass on through the next 5 generations (although that’s a perfectly fine goal to have). What I am talking about is setting your family lineup for financial success.
Generational money problems
I had a client who was in her late sixties, and I remember being amazed by how insightful she was. The way this woman navigated change in her life and retirement was so wonderful that I knew I had to learn more. So I got my courage up and asked if I could interview her — and she said yes!
When I went over to her house and started asking her where this grace had come from in an area that causes most people undue emotional stress, she started telling me about her grandmother.
When this woman was a child, she watched her grandmother constantly need other people regarding money. It was her husband’s job and then her children’s job she needed to take care of her — and this woman (my client) watched and learned.
This one relationship changed how she viewed her financial wellness, her marriage, and how she handled monetary problems… But most importantly, it made her realize that she wanted to have a different story than her grandmother.
A story that she then passed down to her own children and grandchildren.
The family tree perspective
When we look at a situation like this and examine how it affects a family tree, I can see that it goes up 2 generations and down 2 generations.
So when we look at how money is talked about in one generation, we have to recognize that this SINGLE generation has the power to potentially influence four generations.
I don’t want this to scare you! Instead, I want you to feel empowered by knowing that you have the power to impact the way the next four generations think about money and finances.
One of my favorite questions to ask clients is: What are the money values you want to pass down?
This is a loaded question. It’s going to dig deep into the way you feel about your own worth, whether that’s within your family structure, at work, or in the world.
The way we view money and relate to it changes everything. Going into a conversation with a financial planner [link to episode 20] with the mindset that a financial plan won’t work for you is a way to almost guarantee you’re right — that it doesn’t.
A vision for the future
I was working with another client recently who was just getting started on their retirement and finance journey. And one of the things that stood out to me was that they didn’t have a vision of what their money could do for them and what was possible with their money.
But the moment I got them to shift their mindset and begin to examine what was possible for them was the moment they realized that they had complete control over their financial future.
Having a vision for what’s possible with your money is going to change how your children view and interact with money — and that’s what I mean when I say your finances can and will impact your family tree.
So I want to encourage you to start making these little shifts. Start changing the narrative of how you view money. Because when we do that, I firmly believe that it will change your family tree completely.
If you’re ready to start changing the way your family views money right now, I have a library full of free financial resources for you! Go here to check them out.