I recently interviewed CEO of Blue Sky Financial Planning, Gary Neild on the Fearless Finance podcast around the topic of why you need a financial plan. If you would like to listen here is a link
This quote from Alice in Wonderland came to mind:
“Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?”
“That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,” said the Cat.
“I don’t much care where—” said Alice.
“Then it doesn’t matter which way you go,” said the Cat.
The starting point with a sound financial plan is understanding two things. Where you are now and where you would like to go. Or in financial terms the current state of your income, expenditure, assets and liabilities together with a clear understanding of your goals and expectations for the future.
In our conversation, Gary pointed out that many of his clients arrive with one issue in mind, only to discover their financial priorities are something completely different.
The many benefits of working with a reputable financial planner seem clear and obvious to me as someone having been around the industry for many years. Yet for others there seems to be an element of resistance around paying for advice, feeling a sense of shame or embarrassment at their lack of knowledge or perhaps a belief that they can do better on their own.
Let’s take these one at a time. Firstly financial planning is a heavily regulated industry. The negativity around mis-selling or bad advice from the wild west years has long dissipated. Financial planners need to be qualified and keep their knowledge up to date. If you needed help from a lawyer, accountant or architect would you not expect to pay a fee?
Point two fear of embarrassment. How did it become a norm that we are all expected to be financial literate? Chances are that money skills were not taught as part of your school or university curricula. How then do we learn to manage our money? The occasional article in the Sunday papers or a YouTube video? If you approach a conversation with a financial planner with curiosity and the recognition that they are likely to help you save or generate substantially more money than you could do with out them, then hopefully that conversation becomes a little easier.
P.s they don’t care about your levels of financial education, you don’t have to take a test to work with them.
Number three, you feel that you can make it on your own. There are undoubtedly many success stories of people who successfully learned to invest, whether in the markets, property or currencies, but equally those we don’t hear about who came unstuck. Financial planning is not confined to making a few quid speculating, but rather a long term approach which considers all your life goals and aspirations.
Whether for estate planning, ethically reducing your tax burden or growing wealth for the future a good financial planner can help, regardless of your current levels of knowledge, experience or bank balance.
