The Ultimate Personal Financial Planning Guide

This definitive personal financial planning guide will help you understand the importance and impact a financial plan has on your life and finances. It will take you through the process of financial planning, elements of financial planning, and creating a personal financial plan.

If you’re anything like me, you probably have big dreams and goals for your life. You can visualize them, and you’re constantly working your butt off to try to reach them.  

Perhaps unsurprisingly, these goals and dreams often intersect with aspirations to grow our wealth because these dreams often can only be achieved if we have the financial capacity to make them happen. 

So it shouldn't come as a surprise that your relationship with money is one of the most important relationships in your life. Yet we don't treat our money with the importance it deserves. 

Stick with me here and let's consider a couple of examples: 

Would you go on vacation without a plan? And no, I don't mean a super detailed plan that includes what you'll be doing every hour. Just a clear understanding of what you need to bring for the trip, what you will do there (maybe broken down further into what you must do and what you could do), likely even a budget of how much you will need for the entire trip. 

My guess is that you'd have a plan - heck, it's even called planning a vacation. 

So what about a new puzzle. Perhaps you'd solve it without looking at the picture? I don't think so.

And how about driving to that beach that's a couple of hours from your house that you've never been to before. Would you drive there without a map? No? 

Ok. So surely you do a healthy dose of financial planning for your money to help you navigate some of life's most important decisions whilst having a big-picture view? 

If you don't, you're not alone. Only 30% of households in the US manage their finances with a long-term financial plan. 

Unsurprisingly, the correlation between good financial planning and financial success is undeniable. 

I mean, get this: You are 2.5X more likely to save for retirement if you have a financial plan. How incredible is that, and more importantly, who wouldn't want that?! 

Put simply, a solid financial plan - a roadmap for our money - shouldn't be an afterthought. It should be a priority to help us use money as a tool to achieve our goals and the life we dream of. 

What to Expect in This Personal Financial Planning Guide

This guide is for you if you would like to learn (more) about how you can truly take control of your finances and become an active participant as opposed to a passive recipient as it pertains to your money through personal financial planning. 

Below is a quick preview of the topics you can expect to encounter around these parts:  

 

Chapter

There is no more hiding here friend. Financial freedom awaits, are you ready to take the leap? 

So let’s jump right in and learn more about what a financial plan is and the key components of a financial plan, which is precisely what we will be covering in Part I ahead.