Look Forward to Every Financial Planning Meeting
Do you ever dread meeting with your financial advisor? Or perhaps you look forward to it because you like your advisor but you aren't totally excited about it or even know what you will cover. You can, and should, change that immediately and from now on. Your advisor will love you for it!
This article will outline four simple steps to design each and every planning meeting so that you can:
Look forward to your next meeting with anticipation of what you will accomplish
Eliminate topics and small talk on things that are not interesting or applicable to your current goals and situation
Make significant and exciting progress towards your goals in a way that only you and your advisor can do.
Use the following 4 steps to provide structure and simplicity to your preparation so that it becomes second nature to plan well for your meeting. Time with your advisor can make a tremendous difference to the success of your plan so you literally can't afford to waste it.
List 2 or 3 pressing financial items on your radar in which you need assistance. This might be an upcoming major purchase, a recent change in work or income, or a concern about the market.
Are there follow-up tasks from your last meeting that still need to be completed? Do everything you can to complete these or, if absolutely necessary, reschedule your next meeting until after you get them done.
If your financial planner is also your investment advisor, list 2 or 3 things about your portfolio for which you would like to learn more, have concerns, and/or would like to change. Make it a point to learn a little more about your portfolio and your advisor's portfolio management strategy each time you visit.
Send this information to your advisor a week or two in advance.
That's it. You can always add more but if you are prepared by just following those 4 steps, you will be amazed by how much more progress you can make towards your goals and how much more engaging each meeting will be. If you have worked with your advisor for some time or recently made a thoughtful change, you likely have a good team in place.
Now go unlock your potential and make the most of your next meeting!
