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Brian Plain, CFP® | Riverside IL | Oak Park IL | Chicago IL Financial Planner

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CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER (TM) professional helping Gen X families live better by blending what works for them both financially and emotionally.

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Brian Plain, CFP® | Riverside IL | Oak Park IL | Chicago IL Financial Planner

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How We Found More Family Time and You Can Too

November 19, 2018 Brian Plain
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Ever wish your busy family had more time together? You're not alone. It's something Michelle & I work on so we can spend more time with the Intern.

Unfortunately, there is no such thing as more time. We get the same 24 hours each day and if we assume sleep & work takes up 18 of those hours, you're only left with 6 hours each work day. And what happens to all those things we don't find time for during the work week? Good-bye weekend family time!

So how does one reclaim time when you've got more things to do than time available?

Here's the great thing about money

You can exchange some of your money for goods and services that make your life easier and free up previously occupied time.

That time can then be spent doing fun things as a family. Here are a few examples that we implemented that you might find helpful:

Become A Better Cook

We like to eat out but eating out can get expensive fast. Especially when you like good food, but are not creative nor do you enjoy cooking.

Enter Sun Basket. You receive exactly the ingredients you need with step by step instructions to prepare 2 to 5 dinners each week.

We've managed to turn something we both did out of necessity into a fun family activity 3 nights a week that the Intern helps out with too. And the food & flavors are still restaurant quality despite our amateur preparation skills.

Eliminate Chores You Don't Like Doing

If you live in a neighborhood full of well manicured lawns and you are not horticulturally inclined (i.e. me), the time and expertise that you lack to maintain your lawn can be exchanged for money. I highly recommend it.

The same goes for our bi-weekly house cleaning service. Weekends spent doing fun family activities are much better than weekends spent arguing over who's turns it is to clean toilets. I've also been told it's much cheaper than marriage counseling!

Now let me address the elephant in the room.

Yes, these are luxuries that cost money and it would be cheaper to do them yourself. To be clear, I'm not suggesting these luxuries as basic human rights. You need to be in a good financial situation to be able to support these luxuries. At the end of the day, your time & money is all about trade-offs and how you manage them. And I'm personally happy to exchange my money for more time with my family.

How about you? Are you looking for more time & freedom for your family? Schedule a call and we’ll talk about it.

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← 3 Steps to Finding Your Happy MediumLessons Learned From Coaching Youth Soccer →
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Brian Plain, CFP®

Brian@PlainFP.com | 708.406.9755

Office Locations:

224 S Marion Street, Oak Park, IL 60302

318 W Adams Street, Chicago, IL 60606

(By Appointment Only)

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Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc. owns the certification marks CFP®, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™, CFP® (with plaque design) and CFP® (with flame design) in the U.S., which it awards to individuals who successfully complete CFP Board's initial and ongoing certification requirements.

Brian Plain offers Investment Advisory Services through Gradient Advisors, LLC (Arden Hills, MN 877-885-0508), a SEC Registered Investment Advisor. Gradient Advisors LLC and its advisors do not render tax, legal, or accounting advice. Insurance products and services are offered through Brian Plain, independent agent. Brian Plain and Gradient Advisors, LLC are not affiliated with or endorsed by the Social Security Administration or any government agency. All written content on this site is for information purposes only. Opinions expressed herein are solely those of Brian Plain, and our editorial staff. The presence of this web site shall in no way be construed or interpreted as a solicitation to sell or offer to sell investment advisory services to any residents of any State other than the State(s) Brian Plain is registered or where otherwise legally permitted. Material presented is believed to be from reliable sources; however, we make no representations as to its accuracy or completeness. All information and ideas should be discussed in detail with your individual adviser prior to implementation. Hyperlinks on this website are provided as a convenience. We cannot be held responsible for information, services or products found on websites linked to ours.