In lifestyle financial planning terms, we always ask as to ‘what are your goals, ambitions, and aspirations’. I’ve never been comfortable with these terms, as I feel that they’re too generic and meaningless to most people.
 
My first mission for 2023 is to encourage the use of more appropriate and relevant phrases to replace. All part of the process of educating people of the deep-seated significance of ‘true’ lifestyle financial planning.
 
Searching on Google, other words pop up. Such as aims, intentions and purpose to name but a few. Any or all of these are correct. But they’re irrelevant, if people can’t understand how they apply in their lives with how they truly feel.

What is that you want to achieve, can it itself be a very tricky question to answer. Particularly, in lifestyle financial planning terms. As most people when put on the spot, don’t know what they want to achieve and don’t know how to answer. What they do know however is that as a minimum, they don’t want any less than they have now.

We establish by reflecting on where they’ve come from, what experiences they’ve had, where they are now, where is it they want to get to, what risks they are prepared to take along the journey and most importantly by when.
 
The constant task as a lifestyle financial planner is to continually refresh, remind and re-connect with people on these core principles. This unquestionable is where the value lies. Re-affirming as to why we’re doing what we’re doing. And what we might need to do if something has changed.
 
This builds and perpetuates the story. The story of their lives. Which they need to understand, and more so more than me. The journey is just as important as the destination. As it defines who we are and gives us our identity.
 
Remember that life is not a rehearsal, and we only get one crack at it. And although the money is important, it’s what we do with it that really counts.