When clients make time to see us, they often have a pressing issue they need solved. When we lift the “hood” on these issues, we find there are a number of reasons that have contributed to their issue. We also identify other aspects of their personal financial situation that requires attention.
Taking clients from disorder to order, through a comprehensive planning process, is only the first step.
Many people incorrectly believe that once financial strategies are implemented, everything just “hums” along automatically in the background – without any more work. Nothing could be further from the truth. This myth may help explain why there are many who believe DIY is the best option when it comes to managing their finances.
Clients we are introduced to, quickly find that they live in different circumstances from one year to the next. They may have a new child, moved house, new job, a child may have left home, they may be looking forward to a major holiday or sabbatical and so on.
These events all have a major impact on the strategy we originally implement. That’s why you need a system that regularly picks up on these changes and tweaks the strategies to reflect them, so the end, or fixed goal, is realised.
Your end goal, or series of fixed goals is effectively your ideal life! To achieve this, it’s imperative that we regularly review your variables, like lifestyle circumstances, and adjust your financial strategies to meet these goals.
Here’s how we explain this process to potential clients. Our Father was a green thumb! Back in his hometown in Egypt, his mother (our grandmother) introduced him to gardening. When he came to Australia, he continued to maintain his garden – and he loved it.
He had a landscaped garden that looked great. It regularly bore fresh fruit and most importantly to our Father, it was always well maintained and tidy.
Once he passed, our intention was to keep his garden well maintained. Unfortunately, we were not as attentive or green thumbed as he was. Soon, the trees stopped producing fruit. Weeds took over, and pavers starting becoming uneven from the olive tree roots that had grown underneath them.
Within 2 years, without regular tweaking, care and review, this oasis had become an unproductive mess. The lesson that we gauged from this is that an ongoing review process is an essential element to the management of our client’s affairs. These regular reviews should not be regarded a secondary consideration.
We learned the value of having passion, skill and giving regular attention that will provide productive, organised results.
It’s our position as Independent Financial Advisors that enables us to provide regular, un-bias financial advice – so your financial life can help you reach your lifestyle goals.
