Wisdom After A MAJOR LIFE TRANSITION

by Jill Ciccarelli Rapps, CFP®
Financial Advisor

As you live and go through your life, things will inevitably  change. It’s a simple fact of the universe that your situation,  thoughts, and life in general will evolve. Sometimes it’s  for the better, sometimes for the worse, but no matter  what the specific situation is it’s important that you approach the  days and years after a major life transition with wisdom.

MAJOR TRANSITIONS

What do we mean when we say a major life transition, exactly?

This can refer to any number of things – good and bad – and a few  examples include:

• Marriage • Birth of a child • Death of a loved one • Divorce  • Career change • Move • Lottery win • Inheritance

In general, anything that changes your life in a significant  way in terms of your relationships, your finances, or your outlook  could be considered a major life transition. And when that  change comes, it will create a ripple effect that will impact almost  every other aspect of your life. Approaching it with wisdom and  understanding is a must.

KEYS TO REMEMBER

Here are a few things that you should keep in mind following a  major life transition. They can help ensure that you are able to move  through it with grace and wisdom and take yourself to a better place  in the future:

• Before you make any major actions or decisions, start off  by simply looking at the big picture – each side of the transition.  There are likely pros and cons to everything, and even something  as seemingly negative like a divorce could have something hidden  within it to look forward to. Try to approach each transition as a  fresh start for your life and that begins with taking a good, long  look at it.
• Consider exactly how the event is going to impact you in the  long term and think about how you can impact it. Think about past  experiences, what has led you to where you are, and how you may  be able to influence the current situation as well as future ones?  Understanding that you are in control of your life can help you take  a better approach to dealing with any transitional period.
• Don’t take rash steps that are based solely on the ‘now’. You may  feel overwhelmed and be in a high emotional state. This usually  is not the best time to make major decisions. If possible, work on  getting to a better place emotionally first, and unless you absolutely  have to make a decision, take your time. You will be thankful when  you have more clarity and feel better about the choices you make.  You should try to approach things while looking at the way they’ll  impact your life throughout the future  instead of just thinking about the few days  directly after a transition occurs.
• Learn from everything that happens.  Treat each life experience as though it is  a lesson to learn from and try to use the knowledge you gather over your lifetime  to inform your decisions and actions in  the future. This can apply to anything and  keeping the right mindset is important.
• Stay positive. Even when things seem to  be going badly, try to find the things in life that mean something  to you and focus on them as you navigate the days and weeks after  a major transition. If you’ll stay focused on the positive, it’s easier to  stay motivated and to make the most of your life after a significant  event occurs.

CARRYING ON

Life can be unpredictable at times and it’s important that you  know how to move through new events in the best possible way.
The tips above can help you move through major life transitions  with wisdom and are well worth remembering no matter what the  circumstances might be.

Your advisor can help you do just that. Getting a clearer picture of your finances and your future is a must, so don’t hesitate to contact  us today to get the guidance you deserve no matter what life has thrown your way.

Jill Ciccarelli Rapps, CFP®
www.CASMoneyMatters.com
Ciccarelli Advisory Services, Inc. is located at 9601
Tamiami Trail North, Naples, FL (239.262.6577)
Jill Ciccarelli Rapps, is a certified financial planner and a trained
life coach and is a Partner of Ciccarelli Advisory Services Inc., a Family
Focused Wealth Management Firm in Florida and New York.
Ciccarelli Advisory Services, Inc. is located at 9601
Tamiami Trail North, Naples, FL (239.262.6577)
Investment advisory services offered through Ciccarelli Advisory
Services, Inc., a registered investment adviser independent of FSC
Securities Corporation. Securities and additional investment advisory
services offered through FSC Securities Corporation, member FINRA/
SIPC and a registered investment adviser.