Article for NAIFA
Now is the time when I start to contemplate what I want my garden to look like this year. I review all my perennials that will soon start to sprout new growth and I consider which annuals I would like to plant this season. I think about which ones have done well in the past and which ones did not.
The arrival of spring is a great time to plant seeds. Not just the type that grow in the dirt but ones that grow into nest eggs and valuable assets.
The same can be said for our client’s financial plans. This is the time of year when most of them will be reviewing the past year’s work, earnings and investment choices as they prepare to file their tax returns. Clients will be looking at year end statements and comparing the results to past year’s. Their tax professional might be advising them that they need to increase and diversify their retirement planning so that their nest eggs grow in the manner they want. Just like looking at my plants and seeing what would go best side by side with what is already in the ground, so should you and your clients review their current financial commitments and see what would best accompany what has already been done to get their objectives met. Do they need to start saving for a family member ? Do they need to consider additional insurance purchases – whether its life, disability or long term care? Is there now a place in their financial garden for an annuity? Would that compliement their current portofolio? Is there an investment that has been made that is no longer meeting their goals?
There are so many more gardening refrences that I can use in this article suffice to say I think I have made the connection. Help your clients be good stewards of their financial gardens.