Bold and Beautiful Choices

This human experience is simply a series of choices. Some bold and tactical and some beautiful and instinctual. One of the personal decisions I make with my family is to ski a new mountain or two each season. It has always been a priority in our lives.

Both Chad and I learned in adolescence and fell in love with the sport. It is peaceful, yet exhilarating to be in the mountains defying gravity, floating through the snow. Our children learned at a young age and have a growing appreciation as well. We say “We work to ski”. We make financial exceptions to allow it to happen. We choose to work harder and perhaps even longer to make it to the mountains for 2 weeks a year. Once we arrive on the mountain, we can float intuitively into ski bliss.

Last week, we went to Utah for a long weekend to ski a new mountain to us, Snowbird/Alta. It is not for the novice as the mountain is known for off-piste runs and has only a few greens. The blue and black diamond runs enter twine and you can easily end up on one or the other with a simple choice of path. You have to be ready for anything.

Last week, we went to Utah for a long weekend to ski a new mountain to us, Snowbird/Alta.

The weather is also a bit unpredictable. They have received hundreds of inches of snow and avalanche control is in full gear always. You hear a symphony of bombings early each morning.

What a special time to have chosen this delicate yet fierce mountain for a visit. Saturday marked a Virgo full moon in Pisces season. The two signs are opposite one another. Soft, yet fierce. Intuitive, yet strategic.

This balance of being is my life’s work. As a Pisces, I tend to want to go with the flow. But I have a drive in me that always wants to plan and map out the future. I approach the financial work I do with clients with this balance in mind. We need both things in order to succeed in building wealth and reaching our goals.

This balance of being is my life’s work.

It’s important to discuss our money stories upfront – what are our fears? What do we value most? We can establish a plan for savings or create a guaranteed income stream to avoid running out of money in the future. But what do we want today? How can we make sure we fund that ski trip we love and value so very much this year yet still meet our long-term goals? Simply Going with the flow only won’t likely yield the results we desire.

The idea behind a solid financial plan is to create the strategies, use the tools available, and have everything in place so then you can go about your daily flow of life free of most concern. What is your balance of planning vs. surrender? What can you control vs what do you leave to fate? We can be both logical and intuitive with our money.

I had an amazing experience while in Utah on this full moon. We took a tram up the mountain to 11,000 feet at sunset. On one side we could see the sun setting over the valley in Salt Lake City. On the other side, we watched the beautiful full moon rise over the ridge. This was a beautiful example of opposites existing at once. We must acknowledge, welcome, and celebrate it all.

I had an amazing experience while in Utah on this full moon.

We want you to Be Bold and Love Your Life!

Brandon Cabaniss, CFP®

brandon@wwmgreenville.com