Planning for your financial future – it?s easier than you think

Simon Parfitt, Branch Manager of Guardian Wealth Management in Amsterdam, tells us more. Many people either steer clear of planning for their financial future, or worst still they leave it until it is too late. The most common reasons for doing this are either lack of understanding, or lack of help. Hopefully here we can show you it’s easier than you think and that there is someone here to help. Q. What is Financial Planning? A. It is just that, planning ahead for your financial future. Most people have dreams and aspirations; they are what make us get out of bed in the morning and work hard for most of our adult lives. But along the way there are many things that we would all like to do. It might be educating our children, protecting our families, having a sunny vacation home, a nice car or even a boat, retiring that little bit earlier, or just being healthy and enjoying life. If any of those things ring true with you then there is likely to be some financial cost to make them happen and that is exactly what financial planning is for, to plan ahead financially to make your future happen. Q. Who is it for? A. Financial Planning is for everyone and that is an important thing to remember. You don’t have to be “rich” or “wealthy” to plan financially. You just have to be smart enough to think ahead. You may be young and not have concrete ambitions yet, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t plan. On the contrary, perhaps you are much older thinking that you don’t have the time now to plan. But don’t worry it’s not too late; it’s just important to find the right people that can help you. Life has a habit of throwing things at us when we least expect it, planning ahead makes some of these things easier to manage. Q. How does it work? A. Financial Planning is a cycle. Firstly, it’s establishing your goals and priorities; this is best done with a qualified professional advisor who can help you to make this clearer. This process should always carry no obligations and you should never feel pressured when doing it. Secondly it’s about building and implementing the strategy. That’s the job of the professional as often there are a myriad of options and this can be confusing. Your advisor should be properly qualified to help build and implement the right strategy for you. Then, finally and most importantly, it’s reviewing the strategy to make sure that it is still aligned with your goals and personal circumstances. As we mentioned, life has a habit of throwing in many twists and turns and the job of a good advisor is to make sure that your financial plans can also adapt, yet still be fulfilled with these changes. Things to remember: - Time is the biggest factor in financial planning. The sooner you start to plan, the easier and more obtainable your goals will be. - Choose the right advisor. Financial Planning is not something to be taken light heartedly. Make sure you work with a qualified advisor that you feel comfortable with and trust to help you. - Most importantly remember that financial planning is for everyone! There is no harm in having that initial planning meeting as it can only give you a clearer insight into what you could be doing more effectively. Hopefully you can see that Financial Planning doesn’t have to be such a daunting and complicated task as you might think. Should you require some help or have any questions about your Financial Planning, please feel free to get in touch with Guardian Wealth Management – a qualified and regulated firm of advisors who are more than willing to help. www.gwm-intl.com/netherlands netherlands@gwm-intl.com or call +31 (0)20 403 7490

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