Portfolio Management

How Investors Can Create A Comprehensive Financial Plan: A Step-by-Step Guide

Savvy

February 14, 2024

#Savvy

Personal financial planning is an essential process that enables investors to thoughtfully manage their current financial situation and work towards meeting long-term financial goals. For high net worth individuals and families, specifically those with over $1 million in liquid assets, financial planning can be even more critical to ensure continued prosperity. This blog post will provide a comprehensive, step-by-step guide to creating a personalized financial plan suited for high net worth investors.

Step 1: Assess Your Current Financial Situation

The first step is taking stock of your current financial standing across all aspects of your financial life, including assets, liabilities, income, expenses, insurance coverage, tax situation, and estate plan¹^. This involves:

Listing all your assets (e.g. cash, investments, real estate) and liabilities (e.g. mortgages, loans) to determine your net worth²^.
Documenting all sources of income (salary, business revenue, investment income).
Tracking monthly expenses by category (housing, food, transportation etc).
Reviewing insurance policies - health, life, disability, property.
Understanding tax exposure from multiple income sources.
Evaluating estate plan and wealth transfer arrangements.

Conducting a thorough assessment of each aspect provides clarity into your overall financial position. For high net worth investors, this can be complex given the scale and variety of assets and income sources involved, so seeking help from financial advisors may be prudent³^.

Learn more

‍

Step 2: Identify Financial Goals

With a clear picture of your current situation, the next step is identifying short and long term financial goals⁴^. Common goals include:

Short term

Saving for a down payment
Paying off debts
Building an emergency fund

Long term

Saving for retirement
Funding college education
Preserving wealth to transfer to heirs

High net worth investors need to consider complex issues like wealth transfer, charitable giving, and tax minimization when setting goals5. Defining the timeframe, dollar amount, and priority level for each goal creates clarity and a roadmap for the financial planning process. Revisiting and updating goals periodically is important as personal situations evolve.

‍

Step 3: Develop a Financial Plan

Now you have current financial data and clarity on financial goals - it is time to map out a detailed plan to bridge the gap between the two⁶. Key elements include:

Budgeting: Document monthly income and categorize expenses. Set limits aligned with saving goals. Monitor and refine budget over time. Apps and software can help track detailed budgets.
Debt repayment: List debts by interest rate. Create a repayment plan starting with the most expensive debt first.
Savings and investments: Identify monthly savings amount based on budget. Set up automatic transfers from checking accounts to various savings vehicles for different goals. Consider exploring suitable low-cost index funds tailored to your timeline and risk tolerance for investing savings.⁷^.
Insurance planning: Review existing policies and update if required based on lifestyle, assets etc. 'Asset protection' is especially important for high net worth investors⁸.
Tax planning: Estimate impact of various income sources and plan to minimize tax liability⁹. Consider setting up trusts, donor-advised funds and other vehicles to reduce tax exposure.
Estate planning: Set up wills and trusts, review beneficiaries, and plan wealth transfer to heirs in a tax-efficient manner¹⁰^.

A comprehensive financial plan will account for all of the above components and provide clarity on the specific steps that need to be taken to reach identified financial goals.

Get Started

‍

Step 4: Implement the Financial Plan

With a documented financial plan in place, it is time to put it into action. This requires¹¹^:

Committing to the budget: Stick to defined spending limits for necessities and discretionary expenses every month. Make adjustments if needed but avoid deviating without cause.
Paying down debt: Make payments as per repayment plan, starting with the most expensive debt. Avoid taking on new debt without reassessing budget.
Automating savings and investments: Set up automatic monthly transfers into various savings vehicles per the amounts budgeted. Consider investing savings into a portfolio of index funds over time.
Reviewing and updating insurance: Contact providers to alter coverage based on plan.
Exploring tax planning vehicles: Discuss options like donor-advised funds with financial advisors and accountants to minimize tax liability.
Setting up estate planning arrangements: Contact lawyers to establish wills, trusts and other components to facilitate efficient wealth transfer.

Closely adhering to the tactics and timelines defined in the financial plan is key to successfully implementing it and achieving the stated financial goals.

‍

Step 5: Monitor Progress and Refine Plan

Financial plans must evolve along with one's changing personal circumstances and external economic conditions¹². So the final step is consistent and structured progress monitoring, followed by plan adjustments when warranted. This involves:

Reviewing net worth annually and assessing increase driven by savings and investments
Comparing monthly expenses to budget and identifying any deviations
Assessing progress made towards short and long term goal dollar amounts
Revisiting goals and confirming timelines or modifying based on feasibility
Incorporating any life changes impacting income, expenses, taxes or estate plans

Annual or bi-annual 'financial check-ins' work best to review progress, make course corrections, and ensure the plan continues to move the investor towards their goals. For high net worth individuals, having financial advisors closely involved in this process can be invaluable.

In summary, personal financial planning requires assessing one's financial position, defining suitable goals for the future, devising a comprehensive plan to bridge the gap between the two, implementing the tactics identified, and eventually monitoring progress to reach desired outcomes. While each financial plan will be unique, methodically following these steps can lead to financial security and prosperity even for those with complex financial lives. So take the time to create your personal financial roadmap and embark on your journey towards financial freedom!

Become a client

‍