When you have a change of circumstances, a windfall, impending retirement or a financial problem, an effective measure you can have in place is a financial plan.
Making sure you have a good experience both throughout the process and with the outcome is important to ensure your financial plan works for you. For many, whilst the outcomes are positive, the financial planning process can seem daunting. However, Courtiers are committed to making it as easy as possible for you.
People sometimes decide to stick to specific products or advice and mould their finances to fit, but opting to work out your lifetime cashflow modelling means you can ensure the products and advice you do decide to choose fits your financial needs.
Just remember; financial planning is an invitation to delve into all your capital and benefit from the positive outcomes.
Clarity through your financial plans
Still a relatively young discipline with a comparatively small number of clients, there is limited academic research on the effects of financial planning, but we believe this will change in time.
When creating a Courtiers financial plan, clients say they gain a level of clarity they’ve never experienced before, allowing them a long-term perspective. This may be because planning helps you understand the reasons behind financial decisions, including any trade-offs between spending today and having enough money in the future to achieve what you want in life.
Put simply, financial planning offers you more control over your financial future. Having a clear and detailed understanding of your current financial situation allows you to:
- Better articulate your desired financial future to a monetary level.
- Gain a realistic investment timeframe, ignoring short-term volatility.
- Create a realistic investment strategy that fits your objectives and household budget.
- Strike a balance between the long-term cost of spending today and saving for tomorrow.
- Understand any tax implications around your decisions and plan accordingly.
- Ensure measures are in place when death or disablement may affect finances.
Prepare to be challenged
Courtiers is well versed in guiding clients through the financial planning journey, which invariably involves some challenging, focused questions.
Whether you’re used to talking about your finances or not, being intricately open about your financial circumstances can take courage. Similarly, it may feel unusual for you to think carefully and realistically about what you want your future to look like in three to five years’ time.
And if you’re a couple, be prepared to discuss and work out what your long-term goals and objectives may look like together and individually, bringing both of your attitudes to finances, risk and biases to the forefront.
What to be understand when taking up financial planning
- Data Gathering – you’ll be asked to provide any current and future expenditure details.
- Presentation – you’ll be presented with clear and concise lifetime cashflow modelling scenarios, showing you how your future financial objectives could play out.
- Ongoing – you’ll keep on track with your financial journey through annual reviews, ad-hoc experiences and catch-ups with your Courtiers Adviser.
With financial planning, you can see the journey from where you are now, to where you want to be, whilst offering you the structure you need to get there. To explore the benefits of financial planning, a Courtiers Adviser would be happy to talk with you, so get in touch now.
