As a FIFO worker, you have an incredible opportunity to make the most of your income NOW.
Coming from a mining family, I’ve seen firsthand the benefits, sacrifices, long hours and tough working conditions FIFO employees and their families endure. We as a family, we have always made a choice regarding working in mining and when making this decision also had a plan about what this would mean to us financially.
Having a plan to realise your goals for your family, ensures the hard work and sacrifice isn’t for nothing. This becomes especially important when you start a family, as you are sacrificing time, and unless you have clear goals coupled with a financial plan, guilt will take over.
Guilt for FIFO workers is massive and can been seen everywhere; from expensive holidays (pre-COVID), boats and cars, all the way down to big parties and dinners. The challenge that arises from this “guilt spending” is you can’t stop, and the guilt becomes a vicious cycle.
So, what can you do? How can you reap the rewards of your income, enjoy life and set yourself up financially?
Goals
The first step is to understand what is really important to you. Why are you working so hard away from your family? Have these conversations with your partner so you both understand what you really want. Move past he holidays and the boat to what is important to you; kids education, choice of working away, reduced debt and comfortable retirement.
The Plan
Once you understand your goals, then you need to work out how much it is going to cost. Next, you need to work out how you are going to achieve the plan. Most importantly what you are going to give up? This is the biggest step and decision, as you will not be able to achieve your real goals without giving something up.
As an example:
- you want to be debt free by age 50
- your current mortgage is $650,000
- 10 year goal as you’re currently 40 years old
Stop the ridiculously fancy dinners and sell the boat!
The Why
The FIFO families I work with come to me because they are stressed, they are tired and lonely, and something needs to change. One of the biggest causes of stress is money, which is interesting, because most FIFO workers are earning more money than if they worked in the city.
At Boutique Advisers we work with FIFO workers and their families to ensure they have something to show for all their hard work.
When we work with FIFO clients, they come away feeling:
- Relieved
- Less stressed
- Clear around where they are and where they want to be
- Confident knowing they have a clear plan in place to achieve their goals
If you need help organising your finances so you can achieve your goals, please contact the team at Boutique Advisers.
