Why We Always Like To Look Ahead

From our work with clients, we know families are often surprised by the range of topics we discuss in our planning meetings.

That range is deliberate. Without a strong life-centred financial planning philosophy, a planning meeting can easily shrink to one thing: reviewing how your investments have performed since we last met.

When that happens, the portfolio gradually drifts from your goals and circumstances, reducing your chance of financial success, and decisions start to be driven by short-term returns rather than the life you are planning for.

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Investing your hard-earned money into the right investment portfolio is very important, but it must always remain in service of your overall financial life plan.

We will always review your investment returns with you, but it is only one part of a wider conversation. The rest of that conversation is a chance to step back and think about your whole financial life: what has changed since we last met, what you are working towards, and what to do next.

What We Ask

The clearest way to explain how we approach our work is to walk through a few questions we often come back to.

1.     Have your goals changed?

A lot can happen in a year. A new child, a business sold, a family death, a retirement brought forward. If your previous plan is not updated to align with your current goals and circumstances, you will lose confidence that it will lead you to success. 

2.     Are you on track?

Whether your plans have changed or not, you need to understand your current trajectory. If the path you are on does not lead to success, something needs to change. If you are on track, you get peace of mind. If you are not, we would rather know now, while there is still time to adjust.

3.     Are there any major gaps that need to be addressed?

Some clients are on track to achieve their goals, but only if nothing goes wrong. Are you ignoring a risk you can plan for? Surprises happen, and not just to other people. Be realistic about the risk measures you may need to put in place.

4.     What should you do now?

No matter what we’ve uncovered in the planning meeting, there are usually one or two actions that will improve your future. However, we might agree that the plan is sound and the right thing to do is very little. Knowing when to act and when to leave things alone is an underrated skill. 

Why We Ask

Financial planning is, in the end, a forward-looking activity. For this reason, most of the questions we ask are about the future and what we can do to improve yours.

Judging a plan well, then, has very little to do with the past. What matters is where you stand today, and where you can still go from here.

You don’t need to arrive at every meeting with all the answers, but by guiding you through these questions, we can improve your chances of financial success.

Our planning meetings are built around these questions, and we look forward to keeping your plan on track at your next meeting.