The Self-help Cocktail

When I reached my mid-40s, I realized that I had worked in nearly every facet of finance.

At Disney, I worked in corporate finance.

At Goldman Sachs, I helped companies raise capital and analyzed balance sheets to figure out financial engineering strategies.

But the most insightful was when I worked at hedge funds, I invested in undervalued companies that had a catalyst for change.

Yet, despite all this experience, I had never figured out how to live a rich life.

I understand how investors think. 

I know what happens when companies get lazy with their balance sheets and

how companies make capital expenditure decisions.

But one thing I didn’t understand was how to apply all of this to my own career—until I noticed a recurring theme in the mid-2010s. 

Companies like Dow Chemical were talking on earnings calls and with analysts about a concept called "self-help."

Corporate “Self-help” initiatives refer to internally driven strategies for cost reduction, operational efficiency, and sustainability improvements, without relying on external factors like market conditions or regulatory changes.

I realized that the best way to analyze my own career and financial situation was to take it down to the studs, and reassess, just like companies do.

I transitioned to become a financial advisor 8 years ago.

Arthur Brooks, in his book From Strength to Strength: Finding Success, Happiness, and Deep Purpose in the Second Half of Life, writes about how, at age 55, he stripped his career down to the basics. 

Arthur wrote his mission statement by dedicating 15 minutes a day to it. 

His mission? 

“To spend the rest of my life lifting people up and bringing them together in bonds of happiness and love, using science and ideas.”

What if my mission is to spend the rest of my life lifting people up in bonds of financial happiness, using math and stories?

Instead of doing the hard work, many of us ignore our financial realities. 

It's painful, or we don’t see our blind spots. 

But whether we get real with ourselves or ask for the help of an advisor, 

some of us need a "self-help cocktail" 

- a mix of self-assessment, 

- set clear goals, 

- budget and cash flow management, 

- reduce unnecessary costs, and 

- invest widely 

so that we can take off!!

P.S. This photo is of me at the ATL airport, and the pilot was so happy to photobomb it! I told him he's going to end up in my blog someday. ;-)

If you need an outside perspective, please reach out!

Thank you for reading!

Tiffany Kent

Your Friendly Wealth Engagement Guide

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