News

Mental health and wellbeing have quite rightly been hot topics for some time now, and something we need to talk about openly to ensure we are supporting each other through difficult times.  As a member of the David Allen Financial Services team, and currently on maternity leave having welcomed my second son, I feel it is important to share my open discussion on wellness.  And as if by magic, January also happens to be ‘Financial Wellness Month’, as well as supposedly the most depressing month of the year!

Coming back in to the office from my maternity leave for a ‘keeping in touch’ day, if I am honest, is a welcome break from the chaos at home, and is a much needed step back in to my old life.  It has been a tough road with my new baby, Teddy, and I have found it increasingly difficult to share with my friends, family and peers the toll a new baby has taken on just about every aspect of my life.  I know I’m not the only one who will have experienced this, but I personally feel that it’s a topic not discussed often enough.

Whilst its common knowledge that having a baby results in sleepless nights for the parents, I have found that ultimately the focus falls solely on the health and wellbeing of the baby, and rightly so of course, but by default there is less focus on ensuring the physical and mental wellbeing of the parents.  When I had my first baby, the preparation I had in place felt seamless, but introduce baby number two with a toddler in tow, and any sort of personal wellbeing goes out the window!  Their wellness ultimately takes precedence over anything else in life.  But what does this have anything to do with financial services?

Being back in work got me thinking, how do my colleagues even broach the importance of financial wellbeing with a new parent, when there is already so much for them to think about?  Quite often people think that they need our advice and expertise when they have savings to invest, or they are looking at buying their first home or even planning for early retirement.  However, looking after your financial wellbeing should be a continuous priority; a journey that starts from the very beginning, and one that should be ‘checked in’ on regularly.

I feel lucky that having worked in Financial Services for almost 14 years it is at the forefront of my mind to ensure my little boys are taken care of in every aspect of financial wellness.  This has included sourcing the most advantageous savings and investment options to ensure they have access to all their educational needs and desires, to then preparing for the worst circumstance of if I wasn’t around to look after them anymore.  Whilst the recommended eight hours of sleep per night is a distant memory, and what seems like a distant goal, I definitely sleep easier knowing I have peace of mind that I have started saving for my boys’ futures, have put in place protection should the worst happen, and that my Will is up to date with my wishes for my most precious cargo – the kids!

This in turn is just one small (but really, rather important!!) task ticked off my list; creating peace of mind and freeing up potential for me to enjoy something for myself, rather than the kids, for once!

Wellness is really quite timely in January though, isn’t it?  Everyone is making New Year resolutions to look after their physical health or better manage their time to increase mental wellness.  If there is one thing I can suggest, it is don’t forget your financial wellness too.  Having financial peace of mind, being reassured you have financial protection in place, knowing you are on track with your savings – these are the things that genuinely do make a huge impact on your overall wellness too.

For more information on how we can help you achieve financial wellbeing, please give us call.  We have financial experts located in our Dalston, Dumfries, Penrith and Workington offices.