Get Financially Organized
For many people, the most stressful part of working toward their goals is getting financially organized. This is a daunting task and one that is exponentially more difficult without the proper tools and guidance. Your financial life was put together in a piecemeal manner and the financial products you have accumulated were likely all purchased at a transactional time of need. Your mortgage, insurance, bank accounts, retirement accounts, etc. were all purchased to meet an immediate need and if you’re like most people, you haven’t given them a second thought since.
Looking back, it’s easy to see how you got here. In order to look forward, you must first get organized. You must understand what you have today and the financial hurdles between you and your goals. You cannot have an optimal financial outcome without a clear and up to date view of your financial life.
Questions to Consider
Consider the following questions to gauge your current level of financial organization:
SAVINGS
How much do you save each year? In what type of accounts are you saving money? How accessible is this money?
AMOUNT
How much money do you have in the bank? How much money do you have in your retirement accounts? How is your money invested?
INSURANCE
How much insurance do you have in place? What coverages do you have? What are your deductibles?
DEBTS
What is the remaining balance on your mortgage? What is the remaining balance on your student loans? What is the remaining balance of your other debts? What is the interest rate on your loans?
Disadvantages Of Not Being Organized
If you answered “I don’t know” to the questions above, you are likely paying the price for your disorganization. This price takes on many forms including: not saving enough, not having the proper protection in place, lacking short term liquidity, overpaying taxes, and taking too much risk.
It’s the not knowing that allows these financial hurdles to take their toll on your financial picture. Getting financially organized is the only way to be sure of what you have and more importantly how it all fits together.
The Living Balance Sheet
At Consolidated Planning, we use a tool called The Living Balance Sheet to help you get financially organized and ensure that your dollars are put to their highest and best use. This allows you to view your entire financial picture on one page to see where you stand today. Our advisors use this tool to build your financial scorecard so we can track your progress without taking too much risk or veering too far off the path from your goals. Together, we will:
Know how much to save every year.
We target a 20% savings rate. Getting organized is essential to achieving this without feeling it’s impact on your lifestyle.
Link your accounts and automatically update account values.
Wake up each morning with a brand new net worth statement. Watch as your net worth grows through savings, investing, and debt reduction.
Create an electronic vault to store important financial documents.
Securely keep all of your financial information in one place allowing you or a loved one to find what you need when you need it.
Establish alerts.
Be reminded of the steps you need to take towards your goals based on the plan you and your advisor create.
Financial Organization With Consolidated Planning
Getting financially organized can be daunting. That’s why our advisors rely on processes we’ve developed over the past 40 years to remove the guesswork. We’ll meet with you to understand your financial objectives and begin gathering your financial data. Our experienced team will compile all of your financial information into a secure, personal website that allows you to view your assets, liabilities, protection, & cash flow on one page.
This thorough picture of your financial situation allows your advisor to complete your financial scorecard – a measure of your current financial standing versus your optimal financial position. Your initial scorecard will serve as a baseline for our work together and will enable you to measure your progress toward your financial balance in a concrete way.