“We go to school to learn to work hard for money. I write books and create products that teach people how to have money work hard for them.”
— Robert Kiyosaki
Listen, we get it. As Mariners we make a good bit of money, and if things get financially tight we just head back to sea and make more money. However wouldn’t it be better for us to be able to better chose our time at sea by managing our money?
Many of us have had to bite the bullet and head back to a bad ship because we needed the larger paycheck, and in doing so missed a holiday season, anniversary, or birthday of a loved one.
Proper financial planning may make it easier for us to escape from the constant cycle of sea and spending, allow us to spend more time doing the things we love, and create more opportunities for ourselves and others.
It is an unfortunate reality that being at sea creates a situation in which things get away from us. Bills will come in the mail and then go to collectors while we are on a ship. Major purchases cold be delayed or obstructed because of our limited connectivity.
We can take steps to alleviate these issues and create a more stable and secure feeling for ourselves while we are away in knowing things on shore are well looked after. These can:
- Ensuring our mail will be handled properly while away, and that we are notified of any impending issue
- Having in place a limited power of attorney with someone we trust so items can be handled while we are absent
- going through a set pre-sea checklist to double check to make sure we have not overlooked anything
- taking time to look beyond our next time home or our next ship
Click on the below links to explore resources that be helpful in many of the issues described above and more.