Money related fears and how to conquer them

Mr. Hemant Beniwal says that ‘fear’ is a constant emotion among people that is brought up by money. This emotion influences our financial decisions. Following are the 5 most common money related fears and how one can overcome them:

1) Fear of losing all the money: Many people work hard to earn money and save it. But some end up losing money due to bad investment decisions. Losing all of their money is something that people scared of. Instead of having irrational fears, it is better to take small steps toward managing money. One can take help from professionals to invest the money. By doing this, one can become more confident of the investment decisions and not make big mistakes/losses.

2) Fear of never having enough money: People are always worried of outliving their created wealth, and that they will never have enough money considering medical expenses of old age. One should make a financial plan for one’s retirement goals and also consider the money needed to sustain the lifestyle and other goals post retirement. One should then work on executing the financial plan and review it regularly so that enough money is retained.

3)  Fear of making mistakes while managing one’s money: People are very scared to lose their hard-earned money, and hence let it lie idle in the savings account to avoid making bad investment decisions and avoid losing money. One should take steps to increase one’s investment knowledge, and first start with zero or low-risk investments and then riskier (volatile) investments. Help from financial planners can be used to match investments with the risk-taking ability from an emotional and financial perspective.

4)  Fear of financial identity theft: A lot of money-based transactions are done using of debit, credit cards, etc. which leads to the fear of account getting hacked or credit card duplication. This is not irrational and cybercrime cases are increasing. Don’t share usernames and passwords of online accounts with others, regularly check financial statements, update your contact number and address with the bank, and don’t click suspicious links. This can help you control the security of online financial transactions.

5) Fear of talking about money: People fear of losing money if they talk about it. They may feel that others have too much or too less in their comparison. But it is important to talk about money with trustworthy people like one’s parents, life partner as they may have gone through many situations at different stages of life. It is important to have frank and open discussions with one’s financial planner as it will make the financial plan realistic and help in achieving financial objectives.

Source- 6 Common Money Fears and how to Conquer them by Hemant Beniwal (https://www.tflguide.com/)

1) Many times, we have our own mental picture about saving money and using it. We should discuss it with more experienced individuals, read more articles on money management that can help in getting a better clarity about the mental picture.

2) We must not accept the status quo, neither must we be under the impression that we already understand everything that is there to understand about managing money. Keeping an open mind and a learning attitude can help us in taking better monetary decisions.

Disclaimer: “The views expressed are for information purposes only. The information provided herein should not be considered as investment advice or research recommendation. The users should rely on their own research and analysis and should consult their own investment advisors to determine the merit, risks, and suitability of the information provided.”