Financial Planning Process
What the financial planning process looks like in relation to meetings and flow.
Whether you are interested in a one-time financial plan or a complete financial plan followed by ongoing coaching, guidance, and support, our process is outlined here.
Our first meeting is a chance for us to get to know one another and answer any questions or concerns you may have; there is no cost and no obligation for our initial meeting(s).
- Hello, Let’s Chat – a complimentary time to answer questions and provide clarity around what financial planning is. We can chat about anything top of mind for you, discover more about each other, and see if we are a good fit. This is also a good chance to clarify the different financial planning options and pricing.
- Get Acquainted – we know we want to work together to better understand your unique needs and objectives and develop a plan to alleviate money stress, clarify goals, and develop your personalized path to financial freedom. This meeting is the better part of an hour, and gives us a chance to talk more deeply about your specific concerns and desires. We will also be working through the various features of the software and developing the starting point for your financial plan. If not already determined, we will decide upon the scope and fees specific to your situation.
- Getting Organized – here we work together to organize your financial details and get a better understanding of where you are today. We will look to understand your money habits; identify assets, income, and expenses; and learn more about your risk tolerance. We may dive further into the features of the software that you can use to track your progress and explore how different options affect your plan.
- Possibilities & Priorities – this tends to be a series of meetings where together we evaluate your current financial status and delve into all the different areas of financial planning as they relate to your unique circumstances while keeping everything aligned with your values, goals, and personal situation. We will explore a variety of areas, including cash flow & debt management, estate planning, risk, tax planning, retirement, and investments. Before and during this series of meetings there is “homework” for both of us, while we also work on the behind the scenes number crunching to support your plan.
- Growing – for many this is the exciting part, when everything you have provided and we have talked about together is compiled and simplified into financial planning strategies to provide a path to meet your goals. As always, you make the decisions and commit to implementing a couple of the top recommendations, and we provide the support.
- Ongoing support – for those desiring to continue with an ongoing financial planning relationship we meet a few times throughout the year to review previous goals, update details, make adjustments, and select new recommendations to implement. Of course, we are always available via phone or email, and are happy to meet as life presents unexpected opportunities, whether that’s buying a house, evaluating a new job offer, or various other circumstances.