BeamaLife Blog

Okay, so I’m not the biggest fan of country music, but I know a wise saying when I hear one, and recently I read where country superstar Garth Brooks once said “The greatest conflicts are not between two people, but between one person and himself.”  And according to a recent study, that’s becoming more and more true for many Americans.

The Gallup Organization has been tracking people’s average daily spending habits for years, and what they’ve discovered is that whether it’s in person or online, at the grocery store or the gas station, Americans spend more money on average over the weekend days (Friday through Sunday) then they do on other days of the week.  With the typical person’s busy lifestyle, Monday through Thursday don’t offer too many opportunities for shopping or other spending, so the results don’t come as any major surprise.

What is surprising is that spending goes up dramatically during weeks in which an employee gets paid.  This “paycheck effect” is most likely due to the fact that many Americans of all income categories are living paycheck to paycheck, and can’t buy anything – including necessities – until the next paycheck clears.  Certainly part of this problem is the economy.  But a larger part is caused by the fact that most people don’t like to live within a budget.  And all of that spending, when it’s not part of your long term goals, makes weekends the worst days of the week as far as your financial future is concerned.

And that’s where Garth Brooks’ observation comes in.  We all struggle when there is a conflict between our short term wants and our long term goals.  None of us want to continue working long past the time when we should be retired.  None of us want to die leaving nothing but expenses to the ones we’ve left behind.  None of us want to have to depend on others when we’re no longer able to take care of ourselves.  So it’s up to us to create the plan for our future, and then to be disciplined enough to stick with the plan, no matter what.

At BeamaLife, we’re proud to provide you with the information and access to the tools you need to create the plan that will lead to the best future for yourself and your family.  I can’t promise that you’ll never face a difficult decision about how to spend your money, but I really believe that when you’ve got the right plan in place, and when you focus on where you want to be 5, or 10, or 20 years from now, you’ll have far fewer conflicts with yourself. Please call one of our life insurance specialists at (866) 972-3262 to determine the right kind of life insurance & financial plan for you and for your family’s financial security or please complete life insurance quote request form now.