One of the key areas most neglected with money is the planning process.  The question is pretty simple.  What are your goals? What are your objectives?  How about your priorities?  Do you know your financial independence day?

Most people go through life saving money, maybe saving money for college, and maybe buying a life insurance policy.  Those are great first steps.  However, can you specifically answer the question why?  Why are you saving money?  You could answer that you are saving for the day that you declare financial independence from earning an income.  That is great you know you can give a global answer.  Do you know how you are going to get there?  Global answers can apply to anyone. Individualized planning is your own game plan specifically based on your values, goals, and priorities.  Think of a global answer as a map and an individualized plan as the itenarery. 

What about your family?  Are they taken care of in the event of a death?  Will your children be OK financially?  What if your will is not enough to truly carry out your goals?  Estate planning is one of the easiest processes to complete as well as one of the least expensive.  

Saving for your financial independence day or taking care of insurance or a will is just a start.  There has to be a solid plan that provides a foundation for your life.  It is a low probability that global thinking will actually get you to your destination.  To increase the odds of your success, a planned out financial strategy is crucial.  

Wouldn’t planning be the same as coaching?  No, there is a subtle difference between the two.  Coaching comes into play when you need a strategy.  Planning is for the future.  Strategy is for fixing current problems.  The most common money problems that require a new strategy are dealing with anything debt related and how to deal with money in general.  Most couples were never taught how to take two separate financial lives and combine them into one financial life.  Thus just the process of paying bills, prioritizing spending, and handling unexpected expenditures becomes a tough process.  

Bob teaches his boundary planning method to help individuals and couples effectively manage their cash flow, pay their monthly expenses, and keep out of the red.  It is all priority based and has nothing to do with budgets (which Bob doesn’t believe in).  After all, isn't all spending value/priority based?  Take a look at your credit card statements and your bank registers.  Those entries represent what you value the most.  

Bob will also coach people on how to get out of debt the right way and or deal with debt collectors and credit card companies.  He teaches principles from his book Deceptive Money.  The key is to know how the game is played and making wise decisions.  Debt is just a season that anyone can conquer as long as they know the rules of the game.  He will help make the impossible look possible again.

There is a better way to manage for investment risks. You can have security knowing risk is monitored on your behalf. Today, there is more to money management than just buying and holding for the long-term. In an ideal world, that works. We are far from living in an ideal world.

Let's discuss the benefits of active money management.

Flexibility

Your money is not just managed based upon the ups and downs of the stock market. It is managed based upon risk and growth. There should be a corresponding reward for every risk that you take with investments. 

If not, there would not be any reason for taking that risk. Contrary to popular belief, there are times when investing in the stock market just does not make sense. Most investors certainly did not receive hardly any reward over the last decade!

Most investment strategies only work when the market goes up. Unfortunately, the market doesn't always go up. The ability to be flexible is the key.

Personal Management

This system of money management is based upon your goals and objectives. The system provides you peace knowing that someone is looking after your money and making sure that your objectives are met.

Communication

This is the most critical key to an active money management system. I have found that most investors do not have a clue as to what is happening with the management of their money. To solve that problem for my own clients, I write a bi-weekly newsletter detailing my thoughts on the stock market, the economy, and what opportunities and risks are present with current investments. It is important to be informed as well as to understand. Click here for an example of one of my newsletters during the financial crisis of 2008.

Cost Effectiveness

This is a system based on a management fee and not based upon commissions. Therefore, I have the flexibility to make changes at any given time without you worrying about commissions, transaction charges, and surrender charges. Clients do not pay upfront commissions fee based money management system. There is an asset management fee that covers the management costs and is deducted from the account. By paying that fee, you do not have to worry about additional or hidden fees.

Delegation

Simply put, you delegate the responsibility to me. As long as I am clear on your objective, you can be at peace knowing that your money is being managed with full understanding of potential risks to your investments.

Fortunately, there is a solution that helps to handle uncertainty and risk. It is very simple to set up. You can call my office (972) 386-0384 or send me an e-mail by clicking here and we can visit about your unique situation. You have nothing to lose by at least having me evaluate your risk. Obviously, there are no fees charged for an initial evaluation.