Income Solutions

If we become what we repeatedly do, poor habits can make us poor while “rich habits” can lead to wealth.

Sarah Berry, The Sydney Morning Herald

At Income Solutions we meet initially with our clients to plan and discuss their financial goals, these documented goals are updated annually and are an important part of securing their stated financial future. However, these goals are just one part of the puzzle, the money habits that we form over years and make decisions and choices about daily are a direct reflection of both our current and future financial situation.

A good place to start when looking a what a good money habits is, is to reflect on some of the money habits employed by financially secure people who:

~ Invest in themselves, they know the value of time and money spent on their education or self-development.

~ Live within their means or even under their means, knowing the freedom of not living from one pay day to the next.

~ Don’t borrow to fund a lifestyle or discretionary purchase.

~ Take calculated risks and opportunities when the evidence stacks up.

~ Start planning early for their retirement.

Starting today you can begin changing financial habits that will directly lead to a change in your current and future finances. James Clear in his New York Times bestselling book ‘Atomic Habits’ explains that small changes in our habits can have a big impact. Some of the strategies for change listed in his book include:

1. Know the difference between being in motion and acting

Motion is all about planning and learning and theorizing. Action is all about deliberate practice to deliver an outcome. It’s all too easy to fall into the trap of being in motion, of fooling yourself into thinking you’re making progress towards something. Remember setting a goal to be a millionaire one day will count for nothing unless you act and form habits and systems to create this outcome.

2. Be aware that we live in a delayed return environment

In modern society, many of the choices you make today will not benefit or impact you immediately, an example of this is the habit of smoking, which will provide immediate gratification, but the health consequences may take years to manifest. When applied to financial habits, while some may spend years not saving or planning for their retirement the impact of this on their daily lives will not be immediately evident until they get closer to retirement and are presented with the impact on limited retirement funds.

“The chains of habit are too light to be felt until they’re too heavy to be broken”

Bertrand Russell

3. Focus on who you want to become and the person you want to be

Make choices and set goals around the person you want to be. James Clear gives another example of this around smoking and when two people are offered a cigarette. One says, “No thanks, I’m trying to quit” while the other says “No thanks, I don’t smoke.” Once again, when applied to our finances do you want to be a person who is financially responsible and in charge of their financial future or the type of person who does not take financial responsibility seriously…. the choice is ours to make!

“Every action you take is a vote for the type of person you wish to become.”

James Clear

4. Habits are the compound interest of self-improvement

The same way that money multiplies through compound interest, the effects of your habits multiply as you repeat them. They seem to make little difference on any given day and yet the impact they deliver over the months and years can be enormous”— James Clear

5. You do not rise to the level of your goals but your habits and choices

Think of this, many people will have a goal to be financially secure by the time they are 40 and perhaps even retired at 50, but only a small percentage will achieve it. People can set out with the same goal, but the goal is never enough because it is the actions, habits, and choices that we make along the way that will reflect whether the goal is achieved or not.

At Income Solutions we will support you in creating systems and money habits that you can implement to propel the outcome of your financial goals.

References:

https://medium.com/tom-thoughts/i-finally-read-atomic-habits-here-are-my-top-5-takeaways-57dd6f904ab4

https://www.investopedia.com/articles/younginvestors/08/generation-y.asp

https://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/health-and-wellness/seven-secret-habits-of-selfmade-millionaires-20160404-gnxs4m.html

.

From the 1st of November you will no longer need an exemption to travel overseas, and with recent research showing that 44.4% of people are including planning for a holiday in their financial plans this is good news. However, there are some post COVID travel considerations to take into account:

~ Sydney, Melbourne, and Darwin are the only cities operating international flights from November 2021. Although not confirmed other states will open to international travel once they have reached 80%.

~ For those that love to take to the high seas, cruises will be returning next year although no official start day has been confirmed.

~ Qantas is currently operating three weekly return flights between Sydney and London and Sydney and Los Angeles

~ The following highlights how destinations are staggered over varying timelines, and you will need to check with travel agents or airlines for updated destination dates. Some examples include Singapore November 23, Delhi December 6, Fiji December 7, Vancouver December 18, Tokyo December 19, United States December 20, and South Africa 5 January.

It is expected that masks will need to be worn throughout the duration of the flight.

You will need to be fully vaccinated to travel overseas with a vaccination certificate downloaded through your myGOV account that will require your passport details, this will supply you with a QR CODE that border officials will scan to verify your vaccination status.

The COVID testing mandates will differ accordingly to the country you are visiting, an example being that the UK will require you to book and pay for a PCR test before you depart and then take the test within 2 days, and the US requires a negative COVID19 test before you travel there!

When returning to Sydney or Melbourne you will not be required to quarantine, however this may differ from country to country so you will need to find out what the quarantine requirements may be for the country you are visiting.

While there is a little more to consider with post pandemic travel let’s not forget there can be nothing like a holiday to help us feel more relaxed and give us a break from our everyday lives, something we may very much need after the challenging times we have been experiencing over the last few years.

We know that having a break, whether it be from work or just our regular routines, tends to improve our wellbeing. It can offer a circuit breaker from some of your stressors, give you a new perspective as you take in new surroundings, lighten your mood as you do things you enjoy, give you a chance to spend some quality time with loved ones and simply recharge your batteries by sleeping in and taking it easy.

Planning for a holiday in post pandemic times may not only require a financial plan to budget for expenses but also careful consideration relating to restrictions, Covid testing and quarantine requirements. But when you look at the benefits this may well be worth the little extra effort? Wherever you decide to travel, whether it be Australia or overseas, the other side of the world or maybe just down the road, enjoy your well-deserved break and recharge your batteries for an exciting year ahead.

INCOME SOLUTIONS FINANCIAL PLANNING GEELONG

contactus@incomesolutions.com.au

References:

https://www.mamamia.com.au/international-travel-australia-2022/

.

In moments and times of chaos and uncertainty, people just like you have used their imaginations, motivation, and knowledge to continue to create and succeed. At the beginning of 2020 Income Solutions released a video titled ‘Human Kind no Stranger to Adversity’ https://www.incomesolutions.com.au/human-kind-no-stranger-to-adversity/
This video highlighted the powerful force of human endeavor during times of adversity and provided insight into ways in which people have been overcoming adversity throughout history.

As we reflect on people overcoming adversity, it is worthwhile focusing on some of the tools and attributes that can assist you in building resilience and provide you with the strength to own and plan your fate when you are faced with challenging times:

~ Surround yourself with a supportive team of people who are accepting of you as a person and encourage you to be yourself.

~ Writing down your emotions, thoughts, and feelings. This allows for self-expression and opportunities for future reflections.

~ Spend time in the natural environment. Parks, gardens, beaches, and bush walking have shown to improve mental wellbeing and increase our connection to the healing properties of nature.

~ Accept that change is ever constant in our lives and move with change, rather than fighting against it!

~ Focus on the facts of your situation, not the way you want or think it should be. This allows for clarity of mind to access the resources at your disposal and keeps you open minded about a solution.

~ Recognise what is and is not within your control. This frees up your time and energy to focus on what you can change and accept what you cannot change.

Every day we can see the triumphs and endeavors of not only those we read about in the media, but also firsthand when looking at the lives of your family and friends who are busy going about their everyday lives overcoming hardships and celebrating achievements. More recently Income Solutions published an article titled: Share Market is a Reflection of Human Endeavour: https://www.incomesolutions.com.au/share-market-is-a-reflection-of-human-endeavour/

History has shown that the human endeavor within us all is a powerful force for overcoming adversity.

References:

https://medium.com/uwaterloo-voice/12-practical-principles-for-thriving-in-adversity-life-and-pandemics-e98882a15ba7

.

Helping people stand on your shoulders to see further requires time and effort but the rewards can be great. As a mentor you can use your knowledge and experience to help less experienced individuals who wish to succeed and progress. Being a mentor is a way in which we can ‘hand the baton’ by sharing our skills and knowledge with those people who are coming after us, in fact many leaders believe that ‘the personal, one-on-one aspect of mentoring is something our society desperately needs’(1).

Core to being a good mentor is to have a clearly defined plan, and the plan should reflect not what you the mentor wants to teach, but what the individual being mentored wants to learn. Understanding a person’s goals and what they want to achieve will govern the direction of the mentor and mentee relationship.

A mentor should have a willingness to encourage positive behavior and choices, always acknowledging and praising discipline, hard work and good decision-making skills. However, together with encouragement and praise a mentor needs to offer correction and instruction when required. Letting someone know that because of your greater experience and knowledge you have a ‘better way of doing it’ makes you a good mentor. Offering instruction in a clear, concise, and compassionate manner allows people to adjust behavior that will assist them with achieving their goals.

Mentoring gives you the opportunity to impact the direction of an individual’s life, indeed it is reported time and time again that many successful people attribute what they have achieved to having a mentor at a pivotal time of their lives. There is something about mentoring that just makes you feel good!

At Income Solutions we welcome the opportunity of advising our clients and mentoring them through a financial partnership that allows us to clearly understand their financial goals and develop a financial plan that will ensure, at times through instruction and correction, that they achieve their life long financial objectives and aspirations.

References:

How to be a great mentor:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G3q8kEn_nsg

https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/why-is-a-mentor-important

https://www.td.org/insights/7-tips-about-how-to-mentor-someone