A: I believe that small changes can have a big impact on your long-term financial goals. Often overlooked when creating a financial plan is whether the steps laid out in a plan are straightforward and feel achievable so that they don’t seem overwhelming as you begin your journey. Just like going to the gym, it’s important to set achievable goals at first so that you stick with your plan for the long term. I like to work collaboratively with my clients to set realistic, achievable goals that we all agree on during the initial planning phase of our relationship. Then, I help my clients break down their goals into small, manageable steps that we can tackle together. I find my clients then gain the confidence to take on even bolder goals as they continue to grow.

A: Before discussing a client’s financial situation, it’s important for me to understand the client’s values and goals at a deeper level. Our personal history and experiences with money often shape our values around money. The conversation usually leads to a higher-level discussion with money simply being a tool to achieve these dreams.

I also like to focus on tangible goals that require money and planning to achieve. I know that a client’s goals outside of retirement may be just as, if not more important, than retirement itself. In fact, I have yet to meet a client who doesn’t have at least three goals in their life that will require both money and planning to achieve. As a financial advisor, it’s important for me to understand the goals someone has surrounding money, so we can incorporate these goals when helping to plan for the future.

A: For me, the best part about financial planning has to be the relationships I build with my clients. I learn about my clients’ hopes and dreams for the future, what areas of their lives they are most concerned about, their interests outside of work and what really motivates them.

Over the long term, I also have the opportunity to see how the work we are doing together affects clients’ lives in a positive way. For instance, taking that dream vacation they have always wanted but weren’t sure they could afford, buying the vacation home they have been thinking about for years, the joy of knowing that their children are fully funded for college or the additional time they are able to spend with their families by having more free time now that they have an advisor to help them.