What is it like to meet with a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™?
Jay Zigmont
November 3, 2022
Anna (from We’re Not Kidding) and her husband, Grant agreed to have their financial planning process recorded and shared. Get a rare look behind the scenes of what it is like to work with a CFP® professional.
Spoiler alert: Grant and Anna openly talk about how to find a balance in a Childfree couple. We dive into goals, meaning, and how your net worth does not equal your self worth. They are a great couple and are working on the challenges and benefits of embracing an approach like the Gardener and the Rose.
A disclaimer to the above video: Anna and Grant have agreed to have their financial planning sessions recorded and shared. They are not being paid for this session or paying for financial planning with me. If you are watching this session, remember that the advice I am giving to Anna and Grant is for them only, and should be considered education or entertainment for your purposes.
What can you learn from this video?
When you start on your own journey towards financial planning, the key is to first decide the life you want to live, and then figure out the finances. All too often we let finances drive our decisions and limit ourselves. If you would be happier following your passions, it is ok if you don’t make big bucks (as long as you cover your expenses).
My goal in this meeting with Anna and Grant was to get to know them and what matters to them. As we dove in, they shared their life, struggles and successes with money. While each couple has their own story, Grant and Anna were very similar to many of the couples I work with. Childfree couples often get to a point where they can make different choices with their careers, life, and what they want their future to look like. Grant got a great new job, and Anna is starting a new business. It is a time of transition for them, and that is when people are ready to learn.
Anna and Grant are completely normal in that they have tried budgeting but it has not stuck. Having difficulty with budgeting is often a sign of not having a clear goal or future laid out. Budgeting is hard, but if your goal or future plans are clear enough, you can work through the rough spots. The first month budgeting never goes well, and the point is just to keep making progress. In our next meeting we will work through the Money Management System I use (breaks spending into Musts, Shoulds, Coulds, and Won’ts) and see how the numbers work out. My hope is that by the time we meet next that they will have worked a bit on their goals, which we can refine in the future but will help to get them pointed in their own right direction. (Stay tuned for the next video, and subscribe to our newsletter at the bottom of the page to get notified when it comes out.)
A note on getting things ‘right’… The key with Anna and Grant is going to be to figure out the ‘right’ direction for them and make sure their finances support those choices. There isn’t one ‘right’ way to do finances. The only thing that matters is if they are happy with the progress they are making towards their goals. When you are Childfree or Permanently Childless you get a lot of flexibility in life, but may still get pulled towards norms like buying a house, saving lots of money, becoming ‘rich’ and more. Each person has their own path and goals, and that is what matters, not meeting some benchmark of how much money you should have by 40 (or similar goal).
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