July 19th,  2024  [3 min. read]

By Drew W. Boyer, CFP®

Summer brings the excitement of warm, sunny skies, no school for the kids, pool time, BBQs, and vacation for the family.

Just having returned from our annual trek across the pond to visit my wife’s family in Europe and some bonus sightseeing in Paris pre-Olympics, my ‘handy’ (German for ‘cell phone’) is full of memories to look back on years from now. No matter the cost of time and money, it makes my heart full knowing we’re investing it back into our families and celebrating the human connection in-person, rather than over video. It means so much more.

I often joke to clients that I can’t afford any toys- my hobby is traveling to visit our families. We intentionally visit family abroad and on the other side of the U.S every year like clockwork. We also host family for significant chunks of the year when they can see us. Amidst all of the day-to-day organized chaos each year brings, we tend to be surrounded by people. An extrovert’s paradise (me), an introvert’s hell (my wife). It all works out though.

But now, my house is disturbingly quiet, clean, and has no food. Why? Because my wife and daughters intentionally stay another month, while I come home to work, so they can get bonus Oma and Opa time and immerse themselves in German culture. We raise our dual-citizen daughters bilingual, so it’s important to be able to get this extra time so all the effort we’ve put into this ‘sticks.’

I admittingly take these basic everyday activities not happening now for granted. Just like the timeless quote, ‘you don’t know what you got till it’s gone,’ I have to deal with the silence, I have to clean up after myself, and I have to figure out what to eat each day. That last one is difficult because of my family’s allergies, a gluten and dairy free home-cooked meal each night. It’s not easy trying to keep that up after a long day’s work. For you parents out there pulling double duty- I salute you!

It’s times like this that I also appreciate what I set-up to happen for me automatically. Like auto-bill pay, auto-investing, and auto-irrigation for my garden. I don’t have to wonder what’s happening automatically, silently, in the background because I spent the time to set it up initially. My monthly bills are paid on time, my investments are contributed like clockwork, and my garden stays watered and thriving.

All this no matter what I’m doing or where I’m at and I can even make a meal or two per week fresh from my backyard. Life’s simple pleasures.

Want to know what else is happening? I have an 800+ credit score, my net worth increases, and I get the added enjoyment of sitting back and watching it all grow- especially that garden with a cup of morning coffee in hand.

So, what’s setup automatic for you?

Do you have monthly bill-pay and/or auto-investing?

Do you have alerts set up for your credit score or check your investments regularly?

If no for any of these, why? Excuses like ‘I have no time’ or ‘I’ll do it next month’ only hold you back from financial freedom coming sooner to you. In the digital age, these are some of the biggest, no-cost, high reward innovations, which can free up time and make you, your family, and your financial planner very happy. Just spend the little bit of time it takes to set these up- you won’t be sorry.

Don’t have a financial planner? Call me. I know a guy who has extra time available in the summer!