Comfort and Joy!

Comfort and Joy!  These two beautiful words jumped out as I glanced at the front page of the Austin American Statesman while walking up my long, steep driveway returning from my invigorating walk on this crisp December morning.  I love the comfort and joy that I relate to the holiday season.  I also thought about how these words relate to women and investing, since this topic is usually on my mind.

Isn’t comfort and joy what money ultimately brings when it is managed well? We gain comfort from the shelter money provides, whether home is an apartment filled with our favorite things, or a spreading vacation home where we can gather with family and friends.  And who hasn’t experienced joy from not only buying that so wanted perfect piece for our wardrobe or home, but even more so from writing out a check to our favorite charity, and knowing it will make a difference?

On the other hand, I have found that neglecting my responsibility to invest feels like the opposite of comfort and joy; the avoidance of a blessing and procrastination around money bother me more than a bad investment choice, or even the fear around not having enough money. It creates that nagging feeling I get when I know I could be doing a better job, or paying more attention to the abundance in my life to honor it. And like everything else in life, when you honor and pay attention to something, it grows.

The first chapter in my upcoming book is about knowing why you want to have your money well invested, because this reason is what motivates us to take the steps to get those end results. Maybe for you those steps are to take a more disciplined approach to investing, increasing your financial education, or staying more involved with your money management.  Make a list of the areas where money will create comfort and joy in your life; then step into becoming an empowered financial woman.

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