Working with us is more than just achieving an investment return. We believe in there being a purpose to money and what it can do for your life fulfilment. In essence this is the core of what a lifestyle financial plan is.

When we co-create your lifestyle financial plan we first start with your purpose and goals.

Defining your goals can be difficult so it may be helpful to ask yourself questions such as:

• • What do you hope life looks like for you in 5 years? In 15 years?
  • What would success with us working together look like?
  • What does financial freedom look like to you?
  • Are there any must-do / must-have items? School fees? Mortgage cleared? A boat?
  • And what would your ideal timeframes be?
  • Which of these goals are a higher priority?
  • What could get in the way of achieving what you want?

Don’t worry if your list is long or short – it’s yours and its personal. It can also change. Think of your financial plan being like a glove that is over your hand – as your hand moves, so does your plan.

Only once we have an understanding of your goals, can we start working out what type of plans would best meet them. Maximising pounds in your pocket is essential so we consider tax-efficiency both now and into the future, as well as examining and discussing all available options.

Finally, we can then consider what type of investment portfolios or financial products should be incorporated into your plan. It is here we talk about what ‘risk’ really means – for example the short term ups and downs of the market versus running out of money in later life. We take time to understand your comfort and previous experience, and show how our recommendations will meet your goals. There should be a golden thread that links all the way from your goal to what you are doing.

We then show you this as a lifestyle cashflow plan – this visually demonstrates all of the aspects above and lays out for you what your plan looks like, typically to age 100! When we combine your goals, plans, pensions, investments and portfolios into this tool you’ll gain immediate clarity and confidence in where you are today and where you’ll likely be in the future. Tweaks and changes are welcome! It’s your plan after all.