Budget, emergency fund, insurance, tax – these are words that we would rather stay away from. We like making money but find financial planning quite exhaustive.
We try to postpone it or find some shortcuts to do it. Why?
Read – Where is Your Retirement Plan?
Reasons People Hate Financial Planning
1) Financial Planning is Boring:
Let’s face it, financial planning is not exciting. You have to understand a whole lot of concepts. We have to think through many things. We have to be diligent and disciplined about it. Most of us would rather read a favorite book, see a movie, or time pass on mobile.
BUT
Financial planning has to be pursued to manage our money efficiently and make our money work for us.
2) Distrust in Financial Planners:
Financial planners are professionals to manage our finances. (Ya, I have a financial planner & I am also a planner of many advisors & CAs) But many of us do not prefer to work with them for many reasons. We dislike sharing financial information with “outsiders”. We think they charge high fees and are doubtful if they have our best interests while planning our finances.
BUT
Competent financial planners will provide you valuable services –
- Develop an effective financial plan to achieve your money goals
- Get your finances in order
- Guide you on best money management practices
Read – Importance of Financial Planning.
3) Overwhelmed by the thought of setting financial goals:
- I want to become an entrepreneur
- I want to have a work-life balance
- I want to retire early.
These are some of the goals people have. But if you delve deeper, you have to think more in terms of timeline, financial comfort, etc. People are overwhelmed when they have to make their goals measurable and time-bound. It is not easy considering that there are so many scenarios, different thoughts, and conflicting goals.
Rather than working on the goals systematically, people put off the whole process of financial planning.
BUT
Setting up financial goals will ensure that we work towards achieving them. The process also helps us understand ourselves more and what we truly want from life.
4) It is Complicated:
Financial planning is not easy. It requires knowledge, some amount of experience, time, and regular effort. We are quite busy with so many other tasks and chores that we hate the thought of adding more complex tasks to our to-do list. This results in haphazard investments or last-minute decisions at the time of filing tax returns resulting in inefficient financial planning.
BUT
The right financial plan can help us achieve overall financial success. It is therefore wise to take small but regular steps towards achieving financial independence.
Read – It is simpler to succeed with Financial Planning
5) Time-consuming:
Anaya understands that she has to manage her money better. She decided to act upon the following steps –
- Record assets and liabilities and create a net worth statement
- Create and maintain a budget
- Manage insurance and taxes
- Set short-term and long-term goals.
- Calculate the money required to achieve the goals
- Manage savings and investments
- Manage Income and expenses
But she is busy with work, family, and friends. At the same time, financial planning is not similar to a boss expecting deliverables or a child demanding attention. It is therefore easy to put in the back-burner.
BUT
It is important to have a true picture of your personal finances and make the right decisions to avoid financial ruin.
Check – The Biggest Problem with YOUR Financial Planning
6) Lack of knowledge:
- I do not know where to start.
- I do not want to lose money by investing in the wrong instruments
- I am young now. I will think of retirement later
These statements are commonly heard. People dislike financial planning as they feel they do not understand concepts and are unable to visualize different scenarios and variables.
BUT
But being prepared with a financial plan will support us to achieve our goals, Build your wealth, and provide financial comfort during emergencies.
Financial planning may not be everyone’s cup of tea or coffee. But it is unavoidable as a financial plan will help you understand your cash flow, manage debts, make sound investments, and nudge you towards securing your financial life. It is therefore in your best interest to give a ? to financial planning.
If you are looking for a Comprehensive, Competent & Complied (SEBI Registered) Financial Planner – you can check this
If you have any questions regarding financial planning – add them in the comment section.
Hi Hemant,
Very nice article. Many people don’t like financial planning because it requires some amount of basic knowledge in the subject and a lot of patience. Moreover, only planning will not help; sticking to the planning and budgets is the most challenging step. Enjoyed reading this article. Thanks for sharing it.
Well said Hemant,
You are bang on! These are exactly the reasons people (like me) run away from financial planning! One cannot do financial planning (or anything for that matter), half-heartedly. So it needs lot of time and interest. Also, one cannot become an expert in many things in one’s life. Our job areas are enough to specialize on!
Having said that, each of us has to think, “why are we working so hard all our lives?” If it is for money and in turn comfort, we have no choice but to invest our time in financial planning. Otherwise, after slogging our whole life, we find we have much less money for our future (factoring in inflation), than we thought we had.
Hi Dhruv Ji,
I think this is a very important question “why are we working so hard all our lives?” but unfortunately most people ask it too late 🙂
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