A few years ago, my husband and I sat down with a Certified Financial Planner.
We had worked hard to build savings, and I was feeling proud – ready to hear that we were doing everything “right.”
Instead, he looked over our numbers and said something that stopped me in my tracks:
“You have too much money sitting in cash. You need to get more of this invested.”
Now, to be fair – I get where he was coming from. The textbook answer is that cash earns very little interest and investing will help your money grow. On paper, it made sense.
But what the planner didn’t know – and didn’t ask – was that our income is variable.
We run businesses. We’ve had good years, slow years, and years that felt like a rollercoaster.
We’ve learned to build a cushion because sometimes that cushion is the only thing that gets us through a dry season.
We like having cash.
It helps us sleep at night.
It helps us say yes to opportunities and breathe when life throws a curveball.
It’s not just about money – it’s about peace of mind.
What Works for One Person Doesn’t Always Work for You
This moment is one of the reasons I became a financial coach.
Because I realized: financial advice isn’t one-size-fits-all.
What works on paper may not work in real life – especially if your real life includes things like:
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Divorce
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Job transitions
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Raising kids
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Running a business
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Grieving, healing, or rebuilding
This is why the personal part of personal finance matters so much.
The Power of Asking the Right Questions
When I start working with clients, I don’t begin with “here’s what to do with your money.” I begin with questions. Because the questions unlock the why – and the why is everything. Let me share a story.
A Client’s Real-Life Moment
A woman came to me overwhelmed and anxious. She told me she wanted help paying off her debt because she was ready to buy a house.
But as we talked, her story unfolded:
She had recently gone through a divorce.
She was freelancing while searching for a stable full-time job.
Her debt was high. Her rent was due. And she wasn’t sleeping at night.
She was running on fumes – emotionally, mentally, and financially.
Now, if you looked at her bank statement and credit card balances, you might say, “Throw everything at the debt! Get rid of that interest!”
But her nervous system needed something else first.
What she really needed was a sense of stability.
She needed a small emergency fund.
She needed a little breathing room to stop the spiral.
She needed a plan – not just for her money, but for her life.
That’s the difference between cookie-cutter financial advice and coaching that actually meets you where you are.
Questions to Ask Yourself
So if you’re feeling stuck, confused, or unsure about what to do next with your finances, I encourage you to pause and reflect – not just on the numbers, but on your reality.
Ask yourself:
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What do I have coming up in the next few months to a year that I need to plan for?
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Are there any major purchases or life transitions on the horizon?
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If an emergency happened tomorrow, how would I handle it financially?
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What would help me sleep better at night?
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What are my long-term goals – and how do I want money to support them?
These are the questions that turn money management into something meaningful. They turn your budget into a reflection of your values, not just your bills. They help you create a plan that works in your real life not just on a spreadsheet.
Final Thoughts
There’s nothing wrong with expert advice. But without your context, it’s just theory. That’s why I always come back to this: Your money plan has to work for your real life – not just someone else’s rulebook. Whether that means keeping extra cash on hand, delaying debt payoff to build a buffer, or investing with confidence – it has to make sense for you.
If you’ve been wondering what to do with your money next, maybe it’s time to stop looking for the “right” answer…
…and start asking the right questions.
So let me ask you this:
What’s one money decision you’ve made that didn’t make sense on paper – but felt absolutely right for your life?
Or, what question has helped you gain clarity with your finances when answers felt out of reach?
I’d love to hear your story – drop it in the comments or send me a message.
Because when we normalize real-life money conversations, we empower more people to build plans that actually work.
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