Part Two: Why Financial Planning Should Feel Like Going On Vacation
Why should the financial planning experience feel like going on a vacation?
1. Financial planning involves planning, as well as enjoying.
Much like a successful vacation, financial planning involves planning the logistics ahead of time and then enjoying the fruits of your labor later. It is a balance of the two.
Have you ever been on a vacation where you didn’t plan anything in advance before getting there? Well, then everything you experience on that trip was an adventure, for worse or for better. When you don’t have a plan, not having a plan is your plan.
Have you ever been on a vacation where you planned every minute of every day before you arrived? Well, then you were following a schedule, and your focus on seeing every site on your itinerary allowed you to maximize your visit, but also reduced your ability to make new discoveries and experience the unexpected, also for worse or for better.
The point is that regardless of how you plan or don’t plan (because not planning is actually planning to not have a plan), I bet your ideal vacation is a combination of living in the moment and preparing beforehand so that you maximize your time and all the area has to offer. Regardless of how you enjoy your vacation, we strive to create a financial planning structure for our clients that mirrors your preferences for structure and discovery so you get the most out of our “meeting-cations.” We want you to have the best time possible when meeting with us, and we aim for you to ultimately leave our meetings with a sense of relaxation.
2. Financial planning is a process and an adventure, just like a vacation is.
Packing the bags and kids in the car, getting to the airport, getting on the delayed flight, checking into the hotel room: these are the hard parts of a vacation that we should embrace as part of the adventure but rarely do. Rather than dreading that long flight (or dreading digging up those old tax returns), having a way to enjoy the process, like bringing a good book to read on the plane, makes the entire process enjoyable and part of the adventure. Our commitment to creating an engaging and fun client experience is what sets us apart.
3. Financial planning can help you focus on unwinding, just like a vacation can.
One of my favorite questions I like to ask clients during our “Finding Out About You” meeting is “What’s your idea of a mental vacation?” because that state of relaxation and inner peace is a meaningful piece of what we want to offer to our clients. Now more than ever, with our travel and social activities restricted, the ability to give yourself permission to check out from your worries and spend some time daydreaming about the future is important and a big part of what we do in addition to helping you crunch your numbers.
4. Financial planning is about using this moment to get to where you want to go in the future based on what you want to get away from, just like a vacation.
Vacations are special because we work hard to get a break where we can try to enjoy every moment we have free from the worries we hopefully left behind us. Financial planning is about living your optimal life with the resources you have available, while daydreaming and making plans for the future. Part of that involves being aware of what hasn’t worked for you and what you are trying to get away from and run towards. There’s no reason financial planning shouldn’t feel like catching some sun by the pool or exploring a new place you’ve never been to before. This just isn’t how the industry has operated in the past.
5. Vacations are fun. Financial planning can be too. I want to be a trusted resource in the lives of my clients. That involves helping make sure they make progress the way that they want to and providing them encouragement as much as accountability while they are on that path. By making the financial planning process about you, the client, and about the things that you enjoy — getting to the life that you want to get to — the process can be aligned with both your financial best interests and be satisfying and relevant at the same time. You might not enjoy looking at your finances yet, but I bet you will think differently once we start working together.
If this process sounds like you, or if you like what you’re hearing, then make an appointment and let’s see if our services can be a good fit for your needs and goals.
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