BUSINESS AND FAMILY PLANNING - It's A New Century

Neal A. Deutsch, CFP^®

Published in Rivertown Journal, April 2010

What happened to the rules of life- you know, those things we thought we could count on? Things like corporate heads running the company as if they really had their shareholders and employees in mind first? Or politicians that made decisions in the interest of their constituency instead of their own personal (sometimes too personal) agenda? Or thinking (how silly) that if I rent something and pay my monthly rental fee, that I can actually have the right to use what I am renting? Cablevision in NY who, while negotiating their deal with Channel 7 took for the second time in 3 months a service away from it's subscribers who paid for it in good faith- and then doesn't even think about a reimbursement? What happened to the rules of life set up by fair society…where'd they go?

In order to make Rivertown's press timetable, I write my articles about 20 days in advance of your reading. So…let's go back. Remember the Oscars- (who came on 13 minutes late as Cablevision continued to negotiate with Channel 7? But I digress) last month? While I did not watch it since I didn't know it was on, (thank you Cablevision) the next morning I was pleased to see that Sandra Bullock won Best Actress for The Blind Side. It was a wonderful picture; her acting was superb and even more wonderful was its very real story line. Here was a socialite woman who literally changed her life to care for her "new child" and lifestyle as a result of this new relationship. It was truly amazing. Sandra Bullock was amazing. Now the really amazing part…just the day before, Sandra was blessed with another award- The Razzie- an award for Worst Actress of 2009 for her performance in the critically-panned All About Steve with Bradley Cooper. Imagine that- she won two awards in 48 hours- one for Best Actress of 2009, one for Worst Actress of 2009. Talk about the Yin and Yang of life...

The balance of our working life conjoined with our family life is an often blurry and moving divisional line. Add to that our current economy where we strive to hold onto our job, or relationships and our sanity and it adds up to one very insane lifestyle. So I ask you…when was the last time you consciously thought about the balance between your work life and your home life? Has work gotten so consuming that you forget that you have a family, home life and garbage to go out on Wednesday nights? If so, it's time to take a step back and re-evaluate how you spend your work time in relation to your family and personal time. In this period of economic uncertainty, it is east to achieve "work-a-holic" status while trying harder to be at the top of your game in the fear that there are others waiting to take your place. It what you are sacrificing at home worth the occupational pursuit?

If you are a commuter, speak with your employer to see if telecommuting is feasible at least one day a week. The reduction of travel time alone will help to rejuvenate you and give you a chance to catch your breath- not to mention the few hours a week saved that can be dedicated to family time. Keeping track of your time is a feat easily lost when in the throes of a corporate project. Try to keep your commitments to your family as you do to your work life- they will thank you for it. If you drive to work, try to carpool and make that time more social than just dedicated drive time. Take a scenic route instead of the highway. If you are fortunate to work near home, consider biking or walking- your body will thank you. Examine your priorities and do what's best for you and your family. Lastly, ask yourself, at the end of the day... "was this a balanced day?" If not, take a step back and look again as to how to balance your business and family life…everybody around you will thank you.

If hearing from me once a month isn’t enough, come visit me in our new blog site at www.chestnutblog.com.  If you think I’ve got pearls of wisdom here…you ain’t read nothin’ yet! See you there!

Neal A. Deutsch is a Certified Financial Planner^™  & Registered Securities Principal, offering securities through First Allied Securities, Inc., member FINRA/SIPC.  Neal is President of Chestnut Investment Group in Suffern, NY, helping people with financial planning since 1984. Please feel free to call Neal at (845)369-0016 or email him with your questions at neald@chestnutinvestment.com.

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