Life vision planning process

We provide comprehensive life planning. If we develop a successful working relationship, we will help you to achieve your goals.

Keys to a successful relationship

Our pledge to you, what you can expect

You can trust that we will consistently and responsibly perform all requested services and that we will be available when you need us.

We will:

• Treat you with respect, honesty and dignity
• Act with integrity, putting your interests first
• Dialogue with you to acquire a complete and accurate understanding of your goals, your tolerance for investment risk and your time frame
• Outline and explain the strategies we propose
• Update you by e-mail, mail and telephone
• Meet with you regularly to review your vision

What we will expect

Effective communication and mutual respect are essential to a successful partnership, so we expect:

• Trust
• Respect
• Honesty
• Complete disclosure
• Sincerity
• Commitment

Our recommendations are always based on your best interests, and we expect you to understand this. As our client, the investment, tax, estate, and insurance^† advice we give you will be based on the information you provide to us.

Mutual responsibilities

It is essential that we both have the responsibility to work together to achieve your goals and be effective. It is important that we both make your life planning strategies a priority. We will agree to keep each other informed of any new developments that might affect these strategies. And we will take the time to regularly review your plan. We will all be honest and forthcoming about your financial situation. We will work to develop mutual trust, respect and understanding.

Life Vision Planning is about your life, and is not about crunching numbers, financial tactics and products. It is about creating a satisfying and fulfilling vision of life, and discovering how you can achieve that vision.

Step One — Understanding your values

Values exercise

The interactive process begins with your prioritization of 20 important life values (that we ask you to scale between one and ten). For example, is security important to you? How about adventure? How important is it to you that you leave a sizeable estate? And so on.

Life vision — Initial visions

Life Vision Planning begins with the end in mind. A graphically-assisted life vision conversation in four areas (home, lifestyle, family and career) replaces the typical goals and objectives conversation of traditional financial planning. You will find this to be a much more useful and appropriate way to plan financially.

Financial entries — Initial visions

Here we will establish your financial starting point, detailing pensions and/or other sources of income, portfolio valuations, other asset valuations (i.e., home and cottage), current tax implications, present insurance coverage, and other variables.

Details — Initial visions

Here we quantify entries — when will you want to have or do something, what will it cost, and other considerations. We will make a distinction between hard data and vision entries.

Step Two — Working together to create solutions

Here we uncover and help you resolve the potential gaps in your Life Vision Plan:

1. Financial Gaps — Are net worth, income assets and net cash flow acceptable now and will they be in the future? Are taxes being minimized at present?
2. Estate Gaps — Is the projected residue for distribution going to be acceptable? Will it be tax minimized?
3. Insurance^† Gaps — Will insurance^† protect your Life Vision Plan both now and in the future?

We will then be in a position to help you create your Life Vision "to do" list, by year, by category, complete with spreadsheets and a summary report.

Remember: Planning is of no value unless it results in focused action.