Have You Had The Time Of Your Life?

FINANCIAL PLANNERS – lifespan doesn’t really matter.

Not yours (although I hope it is long and fulfilling!)

I mean your client’s lifespan – that age when we forecast that the big fella is going to call their name?

We’ve all got a number in our head, haven’t we?

The number we’d like to get to?

And if we’re doing cashflow modelling then we need a number because the computer says so.

Otherwise, how do we know whether we’ll have enough if we don’t know how long it needs to last?

So we often pick an arbitrary number, something nice and big like age 90, and off we go with our pretty bar charts.

But we’ve done our clients a disservice.

We’ve neglected our financial planning duties.

Because we are giving the impression that all years are equal – that’s the problem with bar charts.

But all years are not equal because your health dictates the quality of each of those years and, statistically, your health is likely to be better in the earlier years – making them more valuable.

And come on – in all your years of financial planning, think about how many of your clients have died with a load of money in the bank having not REALLY done the things they wanted to do.

Now compare that with the number of clients who had such a great time in their younger years that they died penniless and destitute.

None right?

Because the irony is…

1. Our anxiety values our later years (sacrifice now so you don’t run out later)

2. Cashflow modelling values all years as equals.

3. The early years are ACTUALLY the most valuable.

So you need to take your client on a financial planning journey from number 1 – not just to number 2 – you need to get them right over to number 3.

And you do that by not talking about lifespan and instead talking about healthspan.

By talking about life as a textured tapestry – a spiritual equation of time, health, and money.

Not a 2d bar chart.

PlanHappy.co.uk – Software, Training & Business Services for Financial Planners

FREE TRIAL – INSTANT ACCESS

• End-to-End Lifestyle Financial Planning Process & Software
• Full Financial Planner Back Office System
• ✅ Coaching for Financial Planners

#financialplanning