Are you a FORO or a YOLO?

Over the years I’ve spoken to thousands of people.

Clients, friends, people I meet, business owners, retirees and families.

And I’ve noticed something interesting.

I think most people fall into one of two camps.

FORO or YOLO.

You might not have heard those terms before.

But I bet you’ll recognise yourself in one of them.

FORO means: Fear Of Running Out.

YOLO means: You Only Live Once.

Neither FORO nor YOLO is really about money.

They're usually driven by something deeper.

FOROs often fear uncertainty, loss or becoming a burden on others.

At their core, they're trying to create safety.

YOLOs tend to fear regret, missed experiences and reaching the end of life wishing they'd done more.

At their core, they're trying to create freedom.

The challenge is that both can drift too far when they're driven by emotion rather than a plan.

And I see both sides of this every single week.

I remember sitting with a couple a few years ago.

Let’s call them Sue and David.

Both were in their 50s.

Both were high earners.

Both had worked hard.

And by most measures, they were doing really well.

But they had completely different views about money.

Sue was FORO through and through.

Every conversation seemed to come back to the same question:

“But what if it runs out?”

She would read another scary headline.

Hear about someone running out of money in retirement.

Or have a conversation with friends.

And suddenly the amount she thought she needed had grown again.

The last time we spoke, she'd decided she needed at least $2 million.

And she wasn't even sure that would be enough.

Then there was David.

Classic YOLO.

He'd just upgraded the boat.

No regrets.

His attitude was more:

“We've worked hard for it.

Why not enjoy it?”

You can imagine the tension when we sat around the table.

One wanted to save everything.

The other wanted to enjoy everything.

And here's what they hadn't realised.

They were both using the same broken compass.

Sue was using fear to make decisions.

David was using optimism.

Neither is a financial plan.

And this is something I've learned after years of helping people with money.

The people who sleep best at night aren't necessarily the people with the most money.

They're the people who know their number.

They know what their lifestyle costs.

They know what they want their money to do.

They know when they can afford to stop working.

And they know how much they can spend without constantly worrying that they're going to run out.

That's the difference.

It's not about being a saver or a spender.

It's about knowing where the line is.

Think about it like a fuel gauge in your car.

If you don't know how far you can drive on the fuel in the tank, you're going to spend the whole trip worrying about running out.

You might even refuse to take the scenic route because you're scared you'll run out of fuel.

But if you know you've got enough to get there, you can actually enjoy the drive.

That's what good financial planning should do.

Give you confidence to enjoy today without sacrificing tomorrow.

And confidence to prepare for tomorrow without sacrificing today.

So which one are you?

FORO?

YOLO?

Or perhaps you're a little bit of both.

The goal isn't to become one or the other.

The goal is to replace the fear and guesswork with a plan you can trust.

And if you're in a relationship, there's a good chance one of you leans FORO while the other leans YOLO.

That's completely normal.

Most money arguments aren't really about money.

They're about different fears.

One person is trying to create safety.

The other is trying to create freedom.

The trick isn't convincing your partner to think like you.

It's understanding what they're trying to protect.

When couples can do that, the conversation shifts from who's right to what's right for us.

That's where the best financial decisions are usually made.

Because ultimately, your money has one job.

To help you live the life you want.

Not sit in an account forever because you're too scared to use it.

And not disappear because you decided to YOLO your way through your 40s and 50s or retirement.

Find the number.

Build the plan.

Then enjoy the life you've worked so hard to create.

Reading is helpful. Having a plan is better.

Book your free 30-minute Discovery Session and let’s build a strategy that fits your life.

7Wealth Pty Ltd ABN 44609210246 is a Corporate Authorised Representatives and is authorised throughCobalt AdvisersPty Ltd ABN 64 628 654 099 who is an Australian Financial Services Licensee 512550. 7Wealth Pty Ltd is a Credit Representative ofAustralian Finance GroupLtd ABN 11 066 385 822 (AFG) Australian Credit Licence 389087.
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