Most of us are well-intentioned, hard working Canadians. We go to work or run our businesses with vim and vigor; we want to provide for our families and create a bright and prosperous future.

The future is created by the actions we take today, and unfortunately too many of us take the attitude of “I will get around to it” regarding the very things that are absolutely critical in helping us reach our goals. Recently I made a casual visit (as I often do) to one of my clients, and she had a nice plaque that she picked up while on vacation in her living room titled “A Round Tuit”.

Putting off getting “A Round Tuit” is like saying to a thief “I am okay with you robbing me off all that matters because I am not going to call the police. In fact, make multiple visits and take all you want!”

You know you need to sit down with a lawyer and have a will in place, but tell yourself that you will get a round tuit (and never do). So many people die before they get a round tuit? You know that you need to save for retirement but money is so tight now, and you will get a round tuit with when things improve financially. Twenty, thirty or forty years later you may be staring down the barrel of sickness, financial destitution and losing the very things you dedicated your life working for because you never got a round tuit. You know the potential devastation that sickness, injury or death can inflict on your family, you don’t have any or enough life insurance, critical illness, disability insurance, or savings in place (it’s even more devastating for the self-employed who have no benefits or pension plan), but you will get a round tuit.

I have seen, and I am sure you have as well, the negative consequences that ensue when people fail to get a round tuit regarding matters that are of fundamental importance, which is why it’s time to deflate the elephant in the room and get “A ROUND TUIT” today.

About the Author

Karl Marshall is President of Marmac Financial Services Limited, an independent insurance and investment brokerage. He lives in the Durham Region and on Saturday nights he hosts The Party Mix on G98.7 FM in Toronto. You may contact him via email karl@karlmarshall.ca @marmacinsurance on Twitter or on Facebook.