Matt and I are meeting with a financial planner at 11:00am on Wednesday and I am really excited about it… My husband is definitely the better “saver” of the family.. he has his own business and is very careful with spending… I would like to think some of that has worn off on me… especially with the crummy economy that seems to be here to stay for a while…

I used to think very little about a bit of “retail therapy” at Target or the mall but now I opt for less expensive option during my “free” time… the gift card I got for my birthday was a treat because I feel a little guilty being a big or small spender when Matt is doing everything he can to prepare for our financial future and retirement… I did have to buy some new running shoes for the marathon but Fleet Feet was having a great sale and there was one pair of the shoes I wanted in my size… 50 bucks for awesome shoes was a bargain in my book and when I told Matt.. I could hear the upbeat tone of his voice… granted he has never in any way tried to control my spending but he sure does lead by example - his purchases are more like investments… they cost more but you have something to show for the expense for years to come…

Anyway, we have a few investments and have talked about going to a financial planner for a while so when Matt asked me last week about when would be a good time to set up an appointment I was thrilled about the opportunity.. he said “the planner” said “I will look at what you have… where you are investing… you tell me where you want to be in your financial future and I will help you get there…”  Matt told him… “If you ask my wife she would like for us to be able to retire at 55…” Matt gets a chuckle out of such things because he knows that I often base my future goals on wants and desires not what seems most likely or possible…

I have all of my 401k information printed out and can’t wait to have an open mind about what it will take to feel financially secure… a feeling that certainly is priceless and seems very unlikely and impossible during the money slump we are all seeing…