My youngest child graduated high school this weekend. I am done with high school. Done with youth sports. And down to 4 years (of 12) remaining of college. Things are great with our family right now. But years ago, when I graduated college in 1985, I didn’t expect to have a high school graduation the year I turned 61.
This is just one small example of how life is not what we expected it to be. This is one of the central truths of life. Things will NOT turn out as you expect. Maybe better, maybe worse, or maybe just different, but things won’t be what you expect.
I often talk about this as the idea of the “certainty of uncertainty.” We know that life is filled with unpredictable factors. We don’t know what might happen to a specific client, but we do know how to plan for the most common events that impact a family’s financial plan.
This is one way I think about the Certainty of Uncertainty
To improve my skills at managing the certainty of uncertainty, I recently completed the Behavioral Financial Advisor (BFA) designation. This area of study is focused on helping clients make better decisions with, and about, money in the presence of competing priorities and emotions that are sometimes difficult to deal with.
Research shows that the decisions we make about money account for 87% of the investment return. The investment allocation and investment selection are important but the decision to save money, how much to save, when to save, and where to save it, are a much bigger deal. As a Behavioral Financial Advisor, I am working to ad holistic value for my clients by helping them make rational, values-based decisions with their money.
When I do this work well, my clients will get comprehensive advice about their financial life, and whenever they need money, for whatever reason, there will be a smart place to get it.
If you would like to know more about this, I would be honored to visit with you about the unique details of your situation. So, if you want to talk in specifics about your financial plan, I would be honored to visit with you. As a fiduciary financial planner, I’m always an advocate for my clients. I love talking with new people. Reach out and we can have a get-acquainted visit. Just follow this LINK to find a time that works for you.
Yes, I am a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional. I’m always a fiduciary and I work on a fee basis. And yes, I’m still taking on a few great families to be part of my financial planning practice.
If this article has you thinking about your own circumstances, contact my office at rdunn@dunncreekadvisors.com. I am always happy to meet with people who are working on their retirement plans. Dunncreek Advisors does not provide legal or tax advice, nor is this article intended to do so.