What is Financial Planning?

Are you a financially independent woman wondering if financial planning is something you can benefit from? Financial planning, can, indeed, be an esoteric concept for some people. Technically, a Certified Financial PlannerTM professional is required, when engaged in a comprehensive financial planning relationship, to incorporate 7 steps to their financial planning process. Watch this video created by the CFP Board to learn more. 

However, there is a much softer side to financial planning as well. This requires your financial planner to be adept at many soft skills, most notably, LISTENING! 

• We have 2 ears, and only 1 mouth. 

• We ask our clients probing questions and then sit back and listen. Some examples of the questions we ask are:

• Who are the important relationships in your life?

• What would you like to accomplish in your life time, both personally and professionally?

• What excites you the most?

• What worries you the most?

• What are your investment values? (Ie, do you want to support diversity in leadership, women on boards, LGBTQIA+ issues, environment, etc.)

We, (the advisor, AKA ME, Catherine Valega), then use all of the qualitative answers above, in combination with our clients’ assets and earnings, and we craft a plan that helps address the answers to the above. And I do mean ‘craft’ a plan. Every plan is personalized to our clients’ individual answers to the puzzle pieces above. Financial planning, while based in numbers, is more of an art, than a science - and we help our clients understand the fluidity of planning for life and all of its surprises, challenges, and gifts.

As a woman, mother (of 4 teenage daughters!), wife, daughter, and business-owner, I argue that women advisors tend to be naturally gifted at listening. I would love to listen to you, and help you create a plan for you and your loved ones. Contact me here to schedule some time together - I can’t wait to listen to you!