The financial ramifications of Paris and keeping your loved ones in the loop

In mid-November I felt the pendulum swing of emotion. Like so many people I was saddened and angered over the horrific attacks on innocent people in Paris. A few days later I was thrilled when our unpredictable Detroit Lions finally won a game in Green Bay.

By no means am I implying that the thrill cancelled out the sadness and anger. As we’re all aware, sports results are not matters of life and death.

To put the events into proper perspective, sports are really nothing more than a sort of escape from the realities of life, a vicarious diversion.

The events in Paris were beyond horrific and caused unimaginable grief for so many families. Grief that will never go away and will forever haunt those who lost loved ones.

It just goes to show you that in this crazy world anything can happen to anyone at anytime, regardless of age and circumstances.

As an adviser, though, I was pleased to see the world’s markets open and functioning normally after the Paris attacks. Not because I’m callous or insensitive to the victims of terrorism.

From my viewpoint, the markets — on Wall Street and throughout the world — represent order and civilization. By order, I mean that, even though prices fluctuate, at the end of the day they’re determined by the free markets. Not by having someone’s or some entity’s will forced upon the people.

I’ve often written that investors need an iron stomach and that they need to keep their emotions out of their investment choices. The events in Paris are the most recent example of why both attributes are necessary.

Again, I don’t want to sound callous, but in today’s world anticipating the unexpected and unimaginable is an integral part of financial planning. I don’t pretend to have an answer to all of the world’s issues and problems. But I believe the recent events in Europe should serve as a reminder why it’s so important to not only have your own financial house in order, but also to be involved in the financial order of your extended family.

I mention this because I’m an adviser to clients of various ages. And it’s fascinating to see how different age groups handle their financial transactions differently.

For example, I have many seasoned clients that continue to receive hard copies for all of their investment and bank statements. That means loved ones can easily access their pertinent data.
On the other hand, many of my younger clients opt out of paper statements and essentially do their banking from a smart phone. Which means all their financial data is digital.

Naturally, you want all of your online activities to be secure, but you also want your loves ones to know how to access your data in the event of illness or tragedy.

Financial technology may be convenient and secure, but if that’s how you handle your finances, it’s important to make certain that trusted family members know how to access this information if you’re no longer able to do so.

Unfortunately, the unexpected can happen at any time. Recent events should serve as a reminder to keep your financial house in order. And if you’re a “high tech” household, be sure to keep your loved ones in the loop.