Most people work for goals that don’t matter to them. Financial planning is critical to a successful life, yet many people never do it. Financial planning can be confusing and overwhelming at first, but it’s not as difficult as you might think once you follow a process. This post will discuss how to achieve financial dreams by setting up a comprehensive financial plan.
Your life is unique. Your Financial Dreams should also be unique.
Many will never achieve the goals that matter to them. They are often working toward the priorities that others decide for us. When we achieve those goals, we are often left unfulfilled.
It is difficult to know which goals we should be pursuing when there are so many people and ideas that are telling us what is important. Having worked with our clients, they know the importance of having a clear “why” behind the goals that they are pursuing. Without this meaning, it is easy to get distracted and pulled off track by everything else that is fighting for our attention.
Sometimes, Financial Planning can be intimidating and complicated to understand at first glance. But if you break it down into smaller steps, financial planning can be a little more approachable!
Here are 3 things that you need to pursue the goals that matter to you:
- Focus – a destination
- Clarity – where you are now
- Progress – directions to get you there
To make this easier to follow, we will use the example of navigating to a destination by using Google Maps throughout this blog post.
Focus – The goals that matter to you
The first step when using Google Maps effectively is to pick a destination. Even if it is as basic as getting food, you will need a purpose for going somewhere.
Focus is the first important key to a financial plan, so it needs to be taken seriously. Financial planners are here to help you focus on the goals that matter to you, but you still need to be actively involved in the process. Your priorities are your priorities, and it is up to you to decide where you want your finances to take you.
A Financial plan is also there to help you navigate the financial world, but it is important to know where you want your journey to go.
Clarity – Where are you now and where do you want to go?
The next step in getting to your destination using Google Maps is to tell it where you are now. Without a starting destination, it is impossible to get directions to your goal.
This stage is the second key to a successful financial plan. To provide direction toward your goals, you need to understand where you are now. This often involves clarifying the resources you currently have and the resources you will need to achieve your goals.
Clarity is important because without it, we worry about the unknown. Financial planners can help you to create a road map towards your goals that is based on the information and resources available now.
Progress – What is your action plan?
The last step in our Google Maps example is to follow directions! Even with knowing where we are going and how much it will take to get there, we still need help in getting started. Financial planners can provide you with the direction that is needed to move toward your goals by helping you develop a plan that can help you make progress.
It can be overwhelming to make progress toward your goals. What if I told you that we coul bypass the overwhelm? Overwhelm is usually a combination of:
- Not breaking things down into the smallest steps.
- Not being clear about what needs to get done.
- Not having a plan that pulls together all the pieces.
- No due date.
Once we can break things down into actionable steps with a due date, the next piece is simply taking the next simplest action step!
Financial planning is all about the journey. Financial planners are there to help you find your destination, understand where you are now and how much it will take to get there, while providing direction that moves toward your dreams. The best part? Financial Planners do this by breaking things down into smaller steps!
"A dream written down with a date becomes a GOAL. A goal broken down into steps becomes a PLAN. A plan backed by ACTION makes your dreams come true."
To achieve the financial goals that matter most to you, it is important for your plan to include a clear goal and where you are now. By breaking down these steps into smaller ones, you can make progress on achieving your goals. We want our clients to know they have someone who is there with them from start-to-finish as they work towards their financial future. Schedule a conversation today!
