Celebrate the Victories!

Are you the type of person who celebrates your personal victories?

According to a number of psychological studies, celebrating victories—even the small ones, has an extremely positive impact on a person’s sense of happiness and well-being.

In fact, one researcher noted that “celebrating keeps you engaged and helps you to remember that you’re on a path that’s working.”

How wonderful that by simply recognizing and celebrating even the smallest of accomplishments, we can become more focused on our goals, more confident in the outcome and happier to boot!

Let’s Celebrate Financial Victories!

I believe we could all do a better job of celebrating the victories along the way when it comes to financial planning matters. It’s easy to become so focused on the next “to do” item or task, that you fail to pause and celebrate all the small, but significant, victories that must happen along the way in order to build a secure financial future. Here are some examples:

Early in life financial victories

• Funding an emergency savings fund

• Obtaining life insurance to protect your young family

• Establishing and funding a Roth IRA

• Getting the employer match in your 401k plan (and eventually “maxing it out!”)

• Executing estate documents

Later in life financial victories

• Keeping your cool when the investment markets experience turbulence

• Establish and funding a 529 plan for your children or grandchildren

• Deciding to support a charity with meaningful financial gifts

• Executing strategic Roth Conversions to maximize the lower tax brackets

I can tell you that if you are reading this, you have made financial progress over the years and you have things to celebrate! Let’s make it happen.

In that spirit, 2024 marks Beacon’s 20 year anniversary and we plan on hosting a celebration of our own in the fall! Stay tuned for details coming later this summer.

Also, I couldn’t let this moment pass and not celebrate a victory or two of my own. After more than 40 years of mostly struggle, my beloved N.C. State Wolfpack finally made it back to the Final Four in the NCAA basketball tournament this year! To say I’ve been thrilled this March is an understatement! This is a picture of my family celebrating in front of the belltower on campus with thousands of other Wolfpack fanatics. It was extra special knowing my daughter, Abbey, will be attending NC State this fall. Go Pack!