Nobody Likes Slivers

Pull out the slivers.

The other day I was outside with my three year old son. Through our many adventures during that half hour, somehow he got a sliver in his thumb.

It was small, and he didn’t cry when it happened. 

Five minutes later you would have thought that my wife was sawing off his legs rather than gently removing a tiny piece of wood. I attempted to calm him down, whispering in his ear ‘trust me, it will be ok’ while my wife worked to get the sliver out with a pair of tweezers. I even wore a colander on my head and played the role of ‘doctor daddy.’

The story ends with a band-aid, a ‘you’re so brave,’ and a happy kid.

The number one answer I hear when I ask clients how they feel about debt? “Scary.”

Debt is like a sliver. It is easy to get stuck with and excruciating to remove. No one wants it but most people have it. Some studies have shown that 8 out of 10 people walk around with some kind of debt.

If we narrow it down, nearly 50% of Americans have credit card debt and the average card debt is almost $8,000. Not to mention that 70% of Americans in their 50s said that they worry about retirement.

That’s a lot of slivers.

Not all debt will ruin your life. But some types certainly can— or at the very least deter you from your goals. As a financial planner, I’m committed to helping you avoid anxiety-inducing debt while pressing forward toward your financial vision for your life.

That means addressing the slivers, even if I have to wear a colander on my head to make you feel better. 

Let’s talk about that.