As a financial advisor, you probably stress to your prospective clients the importance of having a Comprehensive Lifetime Financial Plan down in writing. Because you know that’s the only way they can keep their financial house in order.

Now, picture in your mind the last time you met with a prospective ideal client.  You’re sitting on one side of the table, they on the other.  You have your files in front of you and the client is nodding his/her head in agreement with what you’re saying.  Your pen is poised to sign this new client to a contract when out of the blue they ask you, “Do YOU have a Comprehensive Lifetime Financial Plan, too?”  

Does that question catch you unaware?  Do you hem and haw and stammer out how you’ve always meant to, but you’ve been too busy to do it.  If you can’t positively and confidently answer that question, how can you expect others to trust your advice?

How many financial advisors have a written Comprehensive Lifetime Financial Plan?  The answer will shock you!

In all my years of training successful financial advisors, speaking at industry conferences and teaching workshops on practice management, I have encountered only two financial advisors who were in possession of a written Comprehensive Lifetime Financial Plan.  ONLY TWO!!!

Financial advisors spend their lives telling clients they should have a plan in place. They reason with clients that with a realistic and comprehensive written plan – that’s updated frequently – no matter what happens in the investment markets or world events, they’ll stay on track to accomplishing their important financial goals.  

So, how can you speak confidently to others, if you haven’t committed yourself to do the work necessary to initiate your own personal financial plan?  A person who says, “Do as I say, not as I do”, does not speak with the same authority as someone who says, “Do it like this, because that’s how I do it and it really works!”

It will be both a humbling and potentially empowering exercise to create your own Comprehensive Lifetime Financial Plan. Obviously, you’ll have to be highly selective but the experience of being in your clients’ shoes will be a healthy one for you. 

Why not get your expert team to create that Comprehensive Financial Plan for you this month?  This will give you an abundance of insight on how to better serve your ideal clients. 

Check out The Trusted Advisor Toolkit  if you could benefit from an easy-to-follow 138 point checklist to ensure each of your ideal clients' "financial house" is put in perfect order and stays that way.