Tag: financialfreedom

Financial Planning

Creating the Life You Want

Post author By Edward Mills
Post date 8 February 2023
No Comments on Creating the Life You Want

Creating the Life You Want

“Don’t go where the tide takes you. Build your own ocean” – Hiral Nagda

3 min read

Creating the Life You Want

“Don’t go where the tide takes you. Build your own ocean” – Hiral Nagda

3 min read

Your dreams, ambitions and needs. Successful financial planning prepares you for every possibility. Once you understand your dreams, ambitions and needs, you can take action to make sure that you are creating the life you want.

Shaping Your Future

Even the best financial plans and most experienced investors cannot always predict the complexities of life. So the starting point for protectiong, growing and passing on your wealth is to have a clear financial plan, linked to your lifestyle goals. Good financial planning should be flexible enough to adjust to the unexpected. This means that identifying and setting your short-term, mid-term and long-term financial goals are a vital part of the process towards becoming financially secure and independent.

Firstly, we take into account your financial needs, from wealth to investing to protection. Once you have identified your goals, the next part of the process is to build a bespoke financial plan and investment strategy to ensure that you achieve these.

Whatever stage of life you are at, having a plan in place will ensure you can take advtange of the opportunities as they present themselves and prepare for any challenges that you, your family or business may face.

Asking Questions

No two people have identical financial circumstances, which is why it is essential that you have your own complete financial plan and wealth solution that meets your individual needs and objectives.

Planning for financial success can be complicated in today’s World. A broad knowledge of everything from complex retirement and investment products to risk management and strategies to tax laws is required.

Your financial plan is a roadmap that will provide you with clarity about your future. It should detail every aspect of your vision – your hopes, fears, dreams and goals. It should also describe exactly how your future will look and help you to know exactly where you are headed and when you are likely to arrive.

So, take some time and ask yourself the following questions:

Can I sleep comfortable knowing I will have enough money for my future?
Do I have the security of knowledge where I am heading financially?
Am I ready for life beyond work?
Am I going to be able to maintain my current lifestyle once I stop working?
Have I made sufficient financial plans to live the life I want and not run out of money?
Do I have a complete understanding of my financial position?
What is ‘my number’ to make my current and future lifestyle secure?
What will my Children’s future hold?
How can I pass on my wealth to the next generation?
Is now the right time to sell my business?

Part of this process is to understand your ‘number’ – in other words, the amount of money you will ultimately need to ensure complete peace of mind in konwing your future lifestyle is secure and making sure you do not run out of money. By getting to know you and what you want to achieve, we will be able to provide you with a detailed financial plan that is tailored to you. This enables you to get a clear understanding of your current lifestyle, your future and the life you want to live. Initially, creating a financial roadmap will enable you to make the right financial choices and achieve the right balance between current responsibilities and future aspirations. All of this should assist you in achieving your desired lifestyle goals and objectives over time.

Unwritten Goals Are Simply Wishes

If you do not know where you are going on your journey, how will you know when you arrive? This is even more true when it comes to the importance of having financial goals.

You need to set financial goals to help you make informed financial decisions. Goals should be clear, concise, detailed and written down. In addition, they should be as specific as possible, so look at your goals like a lamp lighting the way – the brighter the light, the clearer the journey ahead. If you do not have clearly defined goals, it can be easy to procrastinate. Think about your life and what you want to achieve, and what action you need to take to achieve the outcomes you want.

Measurability is another key aspect in order to be able to evaluate the progress of your journey. Give yourself realistic deadlines, to make your goals action-oriented whilst not being unreasonable or unattainable. Specifying dates and values will make your progress quantifiable, enabling you to complete your goals and visualise your destination.

Importantly, if you have the means to make additional investment to accumulate the required assets to achieve your goals, do not neglect to consider this option, too. You might even determine that you can achieve some of your goals in less time, or that it could take longer.

Preparing for the Road Ahead

Life doesn’t stand still, so your financial plans shouldn’t either.

To find out more, or to discuss how a comprehensive financial plan can support your lifestyle goals, please contact us.

Get in touch today and book your initial, free, no-obligation meeting. Send us an e-mail to info@pattersonmills.ch or call us direct at +41 21 801 36 84.

Tags financialadvice, financialfreedom, financialplanning

Pensions

The 10 Worst Retirement Planning Mistakes

Post author By Edward Mills
Post date 1 June 2022
No Comments on The 10 Worst Retirement Planning Mistakes

The 10 Worst Retirement Planning Mistakes

3 min read

Retirement planning should always be a top priority. More and more people are beginning to consider their own retirement, but the truth is that our retirement is often decided long before we even think about it.

See below my 10 worst retirement planning mistakes. With the appropriate advice, you will be able to avoid all of the below.

1. Underestimating Your Lifespan

It may be something that goes unconsidered, but nowadays it could well be that retirement lasts for 30 or more years. This then leads to the growing potential that people out-live their retirement savings. It is hugely important to take notice of your family history and other factors and make sure you take into account your own longevity to determine what steps to take before reaching retirement.

2. Underestimating Retirement Costs

Despite retirement being a wonderful, work-free, time of our lives (at least, that’s our aim!), it is possible that the lifestyle you currently have becomes out of your reach as prices rise, and your income does not, or you may find that you end up spending more in retirement than you thought. It could be simply that you want more than you initially planned for, so within your retirement plan it is important to take many factors into account to gain a rough idea of any potential increase in your spending.

3. Financial Scams

A common thought around scams is that it will never be you. However, no matter how careful you are, it is never a guarantee that you will not get caught out. No matter how rare, it is not impossible that you experience a misuse of your funds by an untrustworthy financial advisor, or even deceptive family members trying to take advantage of you. Make sure that you are also aware of healthcare scams, investment scheme scams, lottery scams and more. Remember, if it seems too good to be true, it probably is!

4. Ignoring Inflation

Inflation is a silent taxation on our wealth. Slowly eroding it as time goes on. Even a small increase in inflation, hardly noticeable in the short term, can be of great detriment to your spending power in the future. Over a long period of 15 or 20 years, there could be the potential of your purchasing power being halved. It is certainly something you should allow for in your future retirement plan.

5. Paying Over the Odds

Excessive fees are something we strive to avoid. Throughout your lifetime, fees really can add up and make a dent in your pocket. Often, what looks on the surface a small difference, e.g. between 1% and 2%, can end up making all the difference in the long-run. It is of paramount importance to have regular reviews to ensure your costs are as low as possible.

6. Age-Based Risk Profiling

“Lifestyling” or “Lifestyle Funds” refers to reducing the risk of your portfolio as you get closer to retirement, along with other assumed factors. It aims to lock-in the investment gains you have already made throughout your life so you can comfortably retire. This sounds good in theory, and may well be suitable for some, though, as with everything, it is not without risk. As much as we wish it, there is no ‘one size fits all’ formula. It might even be your spouse or children that you were planning to have benefit from your investments, so the best decision is certainly to seek trusted financial advice to find the solution that works best for you.

7. Not Rebalancing Regularly

Rebalancing is essential to the future of your wealth. It ensures that your assets remain within your agreed risk level without ever straying too far from the path and can optimise gains already made. Of course, over-rebalancing exists, so it is important to not avoid over-rebalancing. Approximately 2-4 times per year is a good amount for most portfolios.

8. Attempting to Predict the Market

Trying to find the perfect time to withdraw from, or enter into, the market will often come up short of your expectations. Nobody knows for certain exactly what is going to happen in the next few years, or even the next few weeks, so the best route is making informed decisions from high-quality analysis using trusted advice. Cumulative returns can be seriously harmed if your prediction turns out to be wrong.

9. Not Talking to a Financial Professional

The complexities of today’s financial systems are simple when it is your day job, but the reality is that the majority of people do not have the time to spend their few hours of relaxation a day researching the latest changes in the system. Of course, it is not impossible to do, but as with most things there are often rules that you might miss. It is essential to contact a financial professional to ensure your retirement plan and financial future is as secure as possible, and if not, to make it so. After all, that is what we are here for.

10. Not Getting Around to it

This may seem obvious, though unfortunately it is more common than you may think. Retirement is often overlooked as it is ‘so far’ into the future that you do not consider it, or you believe that your respective State pension will suffice. It is important to note that State pension benefits often leave a gap in your income. Therefore, it is essential that you begin sooner rather than later as every day you wait is one more day that you will be playing catch-up in retirement. You might miss out on investment returns, end up not having enough money in retirement, or simply miss out on compound interest. Either way, one thing remains certain, begin sooner rather than later.

Here to Help

We are here to take the stress out of retirement planning. Get in touch today and book your initial, free, no-obligation meeting. You have nothing to lose and potentially lots to gain! Send us an e-mail to charles@pattersonmills.ch, call us direct at +41 78 214 84 32.

Tags financialfreedom, financialplanning, financialtips, Investments, retirementplanning

Financial Planning Investments

Positive Steps to Achieve Financial Freedom

Post author By Charles Mills
Post date 25 May 2022
No Comments on Positive Steps to Achieve Financial Freedom

Plan for your future

Positive Steps to Achieve Financial Freedom

3 min read

When are you thinking of retiring? With many pre-retirees reassessing their lives and priorities in the wake of the pandemic, there really is a seismic shift for many people towards achieving life balance. People need a plan to flex with their changing aspirations – it has become more about living life rather than going through the motions of the daily grind.

With earlier retirement a serious consideration for many seeking balance, a quarter of those sampled who aspire to retire early feel that age 60 is the optimum time to do so¹.

Embracing a New Lifestyle

What really makes you happy? If you are planning to celebrate your 60th birthday by saying ‘goodbye’ to working life, it’s good to know that 68% of people report an increase in overall happiness as a result of retiring early, with 44% of early retirees reporting their family relationships improved and 34% citing improvements in their friendships. From a health perspective, 57% of early retiree respondents report a boost to their mental wellbeing, with 50% believing their physical wellbeing has improved.

Driving Force

Nearly a third (32%) of people who retired early or plan to do so are driven by the desire ‘to enjoy more freedom while still being physically fit and well enough to enjoy it.’ Other factors driving people to pursue early retirement include financial security (26%), reassessing priorities and what’s important to them in life (23%), wishing to spend more time with family (20%) and finding they are either ‘tired or bored’ of working (19%). Stress is also a contributing factor that 19% of respondents are keen to eradicate.

Pause for Thought

With a sizable 24% of people returning to work after retiring because they experience financial issues, careful planning is essential. Interestingly, 47% of retirees found that their finances worsened and only 22% felt they benefited financially from their decision to retire early.

Positive Steps to Financial Freedom

People cited steps toward making early retirement achievable like paying off a mortgage (30%), saving little and often (29%), saving extra when they receive a pay rise or bonus (19%) and receiving an inheritance (14%).

We are here to reassure you that happiness does not need to come at a cost when retiring early. Although it is very important to be realistic, with meticulous planning and careful consideration, we can assess and develop a robust plan to align and flex with your changing requirements and priorities.

Financial freedom is what many strive to achieve, though not all of us know how to get there. This is where we come in.

Get in touch today and book your initial, free, no-obligation meeting so we can show you the way. You have nothing to lose and potentially lots to gain! Send us an e-mail to charles@pattersonmills.ch, call us direct at +41 78 214 84 32, or fill in our contact form

¹Aviva, Dec 2021

Tags financialfreedom, financialplanning, Investments