Yes. No. Maybe So!
We are giving our kitchen a facelift. Not a total makeover; just a few tweaks. Do you know how many choices of countertops and backsplashes there are? Add grout color to the combination and the choices seem endless! It's not like buying a pair of jeans. Unless you are uber-rich you will be living with the choices you make for several years because the cost of labor and materials once installed can't be reversed in a month or so just because it doesn't "match your favorite shirt or jacket," or in this case, your set of dishes.
In our search for some of these items, we did find a store associate that was phenomenal. She was helpful, knowledgeable AND intuitive! We definitely hit the customer service jackpot. We wanted something modern, but classic. Her observations were interesting. For example, a certain style of cabinet that is widely seen today went out of style for a few years, but is coming back.
Coming back!? I grew up in the 70's and it is safe to say that leisure suits for men will never come back (at least in my opinion they shouldn't.) On the other hand, Life Insurance - something everyone used to have - never went out of style, but it seemed to be overshadowed by investment products that made grandiose promises of lavish return of money in retirement years.
When my mother-in-law passed away she still had a permanent life insurance policy purchased by her father in the 1930's. It was a small policy by today's standards, but in the 1930's it was a decent amount. She also had an investment account that under-performed, based on the volatile market at the time. One product delivered as promised while the other product delivered less than proposed.
Using permanent benefits has gotten some bad press in the last couple of decades. "Too expensive" some say. (Funny, I seldom hear "too expensive" when cell phone bills are more than the average car payment.) The high expense comes when an individual gets started too late. First Lesson: Don't wait to get started with a permanent plan!
Lots of things worm their way into our monthly expenses: some necessary, some luxury. Remember the saying, "A luxury once enjoyed soon becomes a necessity." Work the cost of a permanent plan into your lifestyle early and you will not regret your decision.
Permanent life insurance is a valuable, powerful tool in my personal financial planning. It's been part of my personal monthly expenses for over 30 years. My premium hasn't changed and won't ever change. No surprises.
Reserve changing trends for music, clothing and hairstyle. Protection for loved ones never goes out of style in my book. What do you think?
