Originally Posted by
redatlanta 
What if we break up in 2-3 years? That wouldn't be pretty even if we were running our own offices, you know?
Future Trip Alert!!! Please don't walk down that path. What if you stay together for eternity (and why wouldn't you)?
What if you break up? You'll need a plan anyway. Sounds like this is an opportunity to get to financial level where you will be comfortable.
To be blunt, without a marriage you don't have financial security TODAY (which is no reason to get married and not necessarily a sure thing either). Proceed as if he were not in the picture, what would you do? You should always be able to support yourself in the manner in which you are accustomed, especially after a divorce.
Go for it.
I know, it's hard to NOT future trip after all I've been through. I know that things can change in a heartbeat, that people decide all of a sudden that they want to go a different route and it's obviously something I need to work on!
And, if I were to proceed without him in the picture, I still wouldn't know exactly where to take my career. I have no idea where things will lead me, I just know that I need more experience and time is running out financially for me to the point where I feel I need to double my income in the next 2 years.
I love my Bf but I don't want to rely on a man ever again for financial dependency. I just don't have the confidence or the skill set I need to create a job for myself. Sixteen years out of the workforce doesn't look good on a resume, even if I wasn't sitting around eating ice cream and watching soaps.
I am not interested in estate planning, as someone had mentioned above. We do plenty of estate work but most of it is handled by lawyers. We just do the in house processing, new account opening, transfers, funds distribution, etc. Clients dealing with estate settlement have been less than pleasant and many times have brought me to near tears because they want their money and they want it NOW and what the advisor didn't tell them is that estate settlements take time. I don't think I have the patience nor the skill set to deal with demanding grieving people. Just being honest about who I am and what I think I'm capable of. I'd rather talk to people about how to manage their money in the future.
Actually, I wouldn't mind talking to people who are too dependent on their spouses and teaching them how to become financially independent or how to set up credit in their own names, or how to start a basic financial plan just in case their spouse passes away at a young age or in case they don't have job skills, etc.
Not sure where that would fit in or what kind of place does this, lol?!