Just a Tool

Money is not best measured with a story of numbers; it is best reflected in a number of stories – your stories. When you look back on life and enjoy the memories with friends and relations, you don’t pass your bank statement round, but share the happy smiles and places in the photo album.

Money does not come with a ‘user guide’

Everyone’s relationship with money differs, both in terms of what it truly costs you personally to earn it and, how much it adds to the real quality of your life as you spend it.

Is your life, loves and lifestyle driven by how much you think you can afford, or by the joys of living?

Surely, the more we have, the easier it is do what we want and when we want to do it.

Consider this though – just how much is enough?

Research suggests that whilst a material purchases may boost our short-term feel-good factor, the feeling lasts longer when buying experiences. Material items lose their novelty in a relatively short time, whereas we can re-live memories and tell stories of experiences forever.

It can’t buy us love and it can’t buy us our health. It can pay for the best treatment available, but having money alone can not prevent a terminal illness. Sorry, but life is real.

Steve Jobs, founder of Apple, died in 2011. At the time of his death from pancreatic cancer he was worth $10 billion.

One of his many, amazing quotes includes “My favourite things in life don’t cost any money. It’s really clear that the most precious resource we all have is time”.

Money, is just a tool to help you realise practical considerations along the way. But that’s all it is – a tool.

HOW DO I LIVE MY LIFE FULLY, WITH THE FINANCIAL RESOURCES AT MY DISPOSAL?

Don’t Blame It

Don’t be the poor workman blaming your tools if things don’t go well. Plan properly for things to go even better than you ever thought possible, and thoroughly enjoy exploring those possibilities.

Your life is the sum of your choices, decisions and intentions.

Life begins with those first wobbly steps. As you get steadier – with experienced help – your confidence grows, and your achievements and happiness begin to grow exponentially.

If you are still reading, you’re ready.

Ready to take those vital first steps to make your: MONEY + LIFE + BALANCE.

Relax now, enjoy the process:

Taking the First Steps

We meet, you talk, we listen. Share your story – what drives you, what you like, what you love, what you hate. Talk about your work and its real place in your life. Talk about the people you admire, whose activities, actions, passions you share, envy, oppose.

Talk about anything and everything that paints the true picture, the person behind the name.

This is all about you, and nothing can be done until we know your why, what and when.

Qualities & Quantities

We call this ‘Qualities & Quantities’ because it is your lifestyle qualities, now and in your future, that we want to help you achieve.

With everything we have learned about you so far, we produce a summary that tells you where you are now, and what might be missing, missing in terms of resources, to help build, manage and maintain the life you deserve.

This is a crucial starting point to help understand your progress so far. Between us, we’ll consider the possibilities, helping you decide what steps you want to achieve, roughly when, and involving whom.

Then we will leave you, already feeling more confident about your future, as we head off to research the opportunities available to you.

JUST HOW MUCH IS ENOUGH?

Planning

We create your financial plan.

This is where life and money come together – YOUR life, YOUR money.

Equipped with your current financial status and goals, we research the many financial opportunities available to deliver the right balance between financial need and confidence. This is all based entirely on you, uniquely for you.

We then come back with a very detailed plan and take you through each step, thoroughly explaining what each element does and how it formally operates to deliver your goals and support your intended lifestyle.

It is this essential ‘fix’ between life transitions, lifestyle goals and financial realities that transforms ‘aspiration’ into deliverable intention.

Together, we refine elements of the plan, fine-tuning them to your needs, ideals, and financial realities.

When you are happy with it, it truly and uniquely becomes

YOUR plan for YOUR life.

TOGETHER, WE FINE- TUNE YOUR PLAN TO FIT YOUR NEEDS, IDEALS AND FINANCIAL REALITIES

Implementing YOUR Plan

This is where we really get down to business on your behalf. Equipped with your outline plan, we take each element and structure your financial arrangements to most efficiently deliver the goals we have been discussing.

Implementing our recommendations means you start to move forward with confidence, fully equipped with the tools to get you there.

Keeping You on Course

It is all too easy to go off course due to life’s ups and downs.

We review your situation because things change, and your plans may change too.

Each review properly reassesses your current financial status and, where necessary, re-models your plan accordingly, agreeing and implementing whatever changes may be needed.

Fees

A Up until now, (point A on the diagram) our services and time have been provided at no cost to you. It is only at this stage that we agree a Financial Planning Fee to move you forward.

B If you like the Plan and would like us to implement it, this is when we agree the Fee for the Implementation stage.

C ‘Change’ is one of life’s constants. If you would like us to continue to manage and review your Plan, to keep it on track, our ongoing services are available, and the range of our involvement will be agreed here.