Within days, my wife Samantha and I will be welcoming our newest addition to our household of three. My 20-month old daughter can hardly wait for the arrival of our son. She has been kissing her mommy’s belly every night for months to say goodnight to the little fella.
I try to absorb every single detail about this nightly recurrence so I can have this memory forever. It reminds me of how important Samantha, Ava and our little guy are to my family. It also reminds me of the importance I represent to them a husband, father and advocate.
I am blessed to be in a business where planning and protecting families from life’s good and bad occurrences are daily topics of discussion. It’s the subject at the water cooler, on the treadmill, in staff meetings and especially when meeting with clients. My team of 27 COUNTRY financial representatives collectively spends 67,500 hours every year planning, counseling and advocating on behalf of our clients.
But apparently my industry still has a lot of work ahead of it according to our national survey about families and finances. One question we asked really caught my eye:
| Do you have a tangible plan to address your immediate and long term financial security goals? | Yes | 49.9% |
| No | 27.6% | |
| Not sure | 22.5% |
I’m surprised that half of Americans don’t have a plan. I’m also shocked that 23% don’t even know if they have a plan. I guess the shock is even greater when I sit to think of how many families share a similar level of love and commitment like mine.
Life happens, so we must prepare for it. If you are one of the Americans who don’t have a plan, ask for help! Talk to someone who knows about financial planning, whether it’s a friend, family member or a professional. I hope you at least take some comfort in knowing there are advocates like us out there who are willing to help.
I anxiously look forward to helping families who need a plan in 2010.
(Manny Amezcua is a former COUNTRY Financial Agency Manager)
