Understand Your Real Costs
Revolutionary Technology and Insights
Understand Your Real Costs
Understanding your real costs is a first step to achieving real financial balance
Most of us think we’ve got a pretty good handle on our costs.
We know how much we spend on mortgage, food, utilities, and everything else we need or want. Business owners keep records of payroll, overhead, inventory and other expenses. But there are hidden costs many of us don’t take into account, and identifying them is a big first step toward achieving financial balance.
The Real Cost of Living
Beyond Inflation
Ask any group of people: What affects the cost of living? And they’ll naturally say: Inflation. Yet, if you ask these same people whether they’ve been able to save as much money as they’d like during this past decade of low inflation, they’ll probably say no.
The reason for this is that cost of living is affected by more factors than just inflation.
New Goods and Services
Think about it. You didn’t own a cell phone twenty years ago. Or an MP3 player. Or pretty much any of the devices we all find so necessary these days. Technology is constantly creating new goods and services. And giving us more things to say no to.
The cost of living is affected by more factors than just inflation.
Product Wear and Tear
Stuff wears out and needs to be replaced. That’s just a fact of life. And yet, how many of us calculate the drag this places on our ability to save and invest for our futures?
Taxation
Income tax is just the beginning. Add in estate tax, capital gains tax, property tax, sales tax, social security tax, and more, and many people may end up paying nearly 50% of their earned income in taxes.
Lifestyle Upgrade
Everyone wants a better life. A bigger house. Nicer car. Vacations. The latest gadgets. All of this puts pressure on our ability to build wealth.
Life Events
You never know what’s going to happen. The market takes a downturn. A family member becomes ill. You could lose a job or decide to go to graduate school. Suffer a premature death in the family, become disabled or need to help take care of aging parents. Since your financial domains are interdependent, all areas of your finances could be affected.
The Right Financial Representative and the Right Tool Help Create Clarity
One of the many revolutionary aspects of The Living Balance Sheet® is that it takes into consideration all your costs, including those listed here. Your trusted TRIAD Wealth Systems representative can assist you in keeping pace with the real cost of living by helping you make sure you’re organized, protected against the unknown and precise in accounting for your expenses.
The Living Balance Sheet® gives you a quick and easy way to monitor your progress, with access to your personal website from any mobile device and automatic alerts that let you know whenever there’s a change that needs your attention.
The Real Cost of Business
Running a business is no small undertaking, and you may work 70 or 80 hours a week to make yours thrive. What’s the hidden cost in this? Your personal finances suffer.
You may be building your business at the expense of building your wealth.
While focusing on your business goals, it’s easy to let your own retirement planning, mortgage selection, cash flow and protection decisions get pushed to the back burner. The result? You may be building your business at the expense of building your wealth.
The Living Balance Sheet®, with guidance from the financial specialist you choose, can help you balance your business goals with personal financial opportunities.
All your financial data—for both your business and your life—is aggregated in one place. So you can see how all the decisions you make affect every aspect of your financial world and develop strategies that address all your wealth-building goals.