Firstly let’s describe what we mean by this. There are times in our lives whereby we may find ourselves in possession of a life-adjusting sum of money. This could come from one of many sources including:
An inheritance | Selling a business | A lottery win |
A large bonus | Selling a 2nd property | A lifetime gift |
An insurance policy claim | Your employer being bought out | Approaching retirement with a large pension pot/s |
However, regardless of where the money may come from. It is now yours.
Take your Time
Emotions are likely to be running high, and a plethora of ideas are certain to be running through your head. Write all of these ideas down, but don’t act on any of them. In most cases, these are nice problems to have. You may well be discussing ideas with close friends and family – be careful here. Each will have their own views on what may be the optimal strategy to take. But it is unlikely that many of them know of your own goals and objectives, or be able to provide an unbiased view.
Impartial Advice
If you have a financial planner you are working with, now is absolutely the time to pick up the phone and arrange a meeting. They will (should) know you, your situation, your objectives, and your behavioural biases well. You planner will be able to work through your various ideas (the list you initially wrote down), and objectively help you understand the pros and cons of each of them, without a hidden agenda, and in a manner that is tailored to you. They will also likely suggest many strategies you yourself had not thought of.
If you are not yet working with a financial planner, then this really is a critical time to find one who you feel you can trust to guide you towards your goals, with your new-found wealth.
Depending upon the circumstances, you may also need to engage the services of other trusted local professionals such as solicitors, accountants, tax specialists etc.
Whatever you do, please remain grounded, and stay true to your own values and objectives.
A Sobering Thought
A frightening statistic from the National Endowment of Financial Education points out that ‘About 70% of people who win a lottery or get a big windfall end up broke within a few years.’
If you are fortunate enough to come into a life-adjusting sum, please make sure that you take the right actions to ensure that you’re not within that 70%. One of the biggest things I do as an independent financial planner is protecting people from making costly financial mistakes. It’s difficult to attribute a monetary value to that, but the peace of mind value is unquantifiable.