This look is linked on this blog post.

Ready for my meeting. Look linked on this blog post.

Folks, it’s mid-November – how did that happen? This topic is not the norm for me on TanyaFoster.com. I know you join me for fashion, beauty, travel and lifestyle tips but this subject is an important one. Financial security! Do you have it? Check out what happened when my son asked me a very important question. I’m getting a little personal on the blog today…

Not long ago we had a death in our family and it truly shook me to my core. I’m not ready to write about it yet but I will tell you that when I went to make all the arrangements needed, there was no plan. None! No financial plan, no funeral plan, nothing. Fortunately we were in a position to take care of everything needed financially but it really made me think about what would happen if we couldn’t. What do people do? It was during this time that our son P.J. asked me a question I will never forget. “What will happen to you if Dad dies?”

This may shock you but I’ve never really thought of that scenario even though Pete is 12 years older than me. Maybe it’s because he’s so young at heart or possibly because he has always run our finances. We have both always worked hard for what we have and nothing was handed to us. Don’t take me wrong, we came from loving middle class families but let me assure you there are no trust funds here. And we don’t have any set up for our children either. While I have a checking account for my business and a self-directed IRA (we have joint accounts too), I have never calculated what it would take to continue to live in the manner we do today if something were to dramatically shift in our lives. Color me dumb for being so Pollyanna about the entire issue. I don’t like dealing with finances!

It seems a little silly now that I think about it. Taylor is a tax analyst at Deloitte (accounting major) and P.J. is a financial advisor at 49 Financial (finance major). Why am I so opposed to having a financial discussion? Maybe because I would rather focus on spending money, shopping and curating my blog – much more fun! Taylor has a nick name for me “The Money Pit”. She’s not wrong. I never could budget myself. Even in college my Dad would call me and wonder where all my money went since my checking account was always dangerously low. ARG!

Truth is, I’ve not been paying attention and guess what? My self-directed IRA is doing diddly squat for me! And its with a very large, well-known financial institution. One third of it was in cash just sitting there. UGH – this is totally my fault. Time for a change!

P.J. invited me to come in for a financial health check up with 49 Financial. I’d never heard of them and that’s because they are relatively new on the scene. Their tagline is “Two Are Better Than One” but guess why? With core values of CONVICTION, GRATITUDE, LOYALTY, INTEGRITY and TEAMWORK, 49 Financial follows Ecclesiastes 4:9 Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. Founded by the über passionate and charismatic Travis Penfield (just watch this video), the company is an affiliate of AXA Advisors, which has been helping people plan for financial security since 1859! Their philosophy is that everything is done with a team to help you strategize for the best outcome. They specialize in Equity Investments, Retirement/Education Planning, Fixed-Income Investments, Life Insurance, Disability & Long Term Care Planning, Annuities, Health Insurance as well as Personal and Business Financial Plans.

I was open for a little advice, so I agreed to meet with P.J. and Kyle Sims, one of the founders of 49 Financial and the DFW Managing Partner. What I immediately noticed is that this was an easy-going meeting and one where Kyle was mentoring P.J., which I appreciated. In fact, if you look at their associates, the entire company is young, energetic and motivated! They lead with a values based approach – how refreshing. We didn’t even really discuss anything other than letting them come up with a plan that would work better for me. We discussed things like life insurance, ETF’s and a special annuity. In a follow-up meeting, they offered me a plan to diversify my assets and make sure that when I actually need the funds in my IRA, they will be there to serve me. YAHOO! By the way, all of this can be done over the phone.

Here is the part that is going to shock you! They are happy to just meet or have a phone call to give you a second opinion on your financial plan and/or investments. Even if you decide you like what you have where you have it. Again, it’s that team mentality just offering a helping hand. How kind is that in this crazy world we live in?

I’m impressed, not only because P.J. is working there but because I know he is working for a financial firm that cares about people. I highly encourage you to e-mail them and see what they can do for you. The company is headquartered in Austin but has a DFW office as well.

Is your future financially secure? Could you use a second opinion? Click here!    xoxo – Tanya

P.S. I’ve been helping P.J. build out his professional wardrobe (transitioning from college casual). I’m linking some of our favorite items below. We are huge fans of Mizzen+Main, Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus for menswear.

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