Personal Finance

Understand financial planning

Financial planning is the process of meeting your life goals through the proper management of your finances. Life goals can include buying a home, saving for your child’s education or planning for retirement.

The financial planning process consists of six steps that help you take a ‘big picture’ look at where you are financially. Using these six steps, you can work out where you are now, what you may need in the future and what you must do to reach your goals.

The process involves gathering relevant financial information, setting life goals, examining your current financial status and coming up with a strategy or plan for how you can meet your goals given your current situation and future plans and reviewing this on an ongoing basis.

The Six Step Process

1. Establishing and defining a professional relationship
   The financial planner should clearly explain or document the services to be provided to you and define both his/her and your responsibilities. The planner should explain fully how he/she will be paid and by whom. You and the planner should agree on how long the professional relationship should last and on how decisions will be made.
2. Gathering data, including goals
   The financial planner should ask for information about your financial situation. You and the planner should mutually define your personal and financial goals, understand your time frame for results and discuss, if relevant, how you feel about risk. The financial planner should gather all the necessary documents before giving you the advice you need.
3. Analysing and evaluating your financial status
   The financial planner should analyse your information to assess your current situation and determine what you must do to meet your goals. Depending on what services you have asked for, this could include analysing your assets, liabilities and cash flow, current insurance coverage, investments or tax strategies.
4. Developing and presenting financial planning recommendations and/or alternatives
   The financial planner should offer financial planning recommendations that address your goals, based on the information you provide. The planner should go over the recommendations with you to help you understand them so that you can make informed decisions. The planner should also listen to your concerns and revise the recommendations as appropriate.
5. Implementing the financial planning recommendations
   You and the planner should agree on how the recommendations will be carried out. The planner may carry out the recommendations or serve as your "coach," coordinating the whole process with you and other professionals such as attorneys or stockbrokers.
6. Monitoring the financial planning recommendations
   You and the planner should agree on who will monitor your progress towards your goals. If the planner is in charge of the process, he/she should report to you periodically to review your situation and adjust the recommendations, if needed, as your life changes.

About the author - The Financial Planning Institute of Southern Africa is a non-profit professional body formed in 1981 as the Institute of Life and Pension Advisors (ILPA) to improve levels of professionalism. To ensure that financial planners in South Africa meet international standards, the organisation affiliated with the Financial Planning Standards Board (FPSB) in the United States in 1998 and in April 2000 adopted its new name: Financial Planning Institute of Southern Africa (FPI) to more accurately reflect its role as the custodian of competency and ethical standards in South Africa.