Viking Magazine - October 2012 - 27

a certifi ed fi nancial planner in
Norfolk, Va. With so many other
expenses, it can be hard for a
young family to do this. To motivate
you: Keep in mind that the
money will be used someday for
your children's college education
and retirement.
" There is always going to be
a reason to step away from savings, "
says Flaherty. " If you make
the goal real and visualize, then
you will make the sacrifi ce necessary
to achieve it. " As friends call
on Friday night to go out, it will
be easier to say no-because by
spending a quiet night at home
you know that you are looking
out for the long-term interests of
your family.
Sometimes a husband and
wife have different attitudes
toward spending. If they can
agree, however, that retirement
is important, then they can
make changes together to the
budget to make it work, says
Flaherty. " It takes a team meeting
to agree it's important and
to change something, " he says.
Ulrich adds that if you schedule
your funds to automatically
leave your checking account and
head into savings, it can be easier
to stick with the routine: " What
you don't see in your checking
account, you're much less likely
to spend. "
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Adopting an attitude that you
aren't going to " keep up with
the Joneses " can be a relief, says
Flaherty. Often having a baby
is a game changer that can get
families to start developing good
fi nancial habits, and it becomes
easier to stay on track.
Once families know their
money is in the right place,
there can be a sense of security,
says Ulrich. " I'm not a big fan
of pure austerity such as never
buying new clothes or going
out - you need to live your
life. But, there's so much joy
and peace in knowing when to
say, 'I have enough' or 'This is
enough,' " she says. " Also, when
you do need to buy or go somewhere,
knowing you paid the
lowest price-there's tremendous
satisfaction in that. "
In the United States from 2007 to 2010
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Viking Magazine - October 2012

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