“It’s not just about the money” is a phrase I find myself using in nearly every client meeting these days. This stems from the evolution of the role of financial advisers and planners in recent years – a shift from focusing solely on a client’s money and investment returns achieved to a focus on the client as a person and what you want to achieve in your life. Our role today is to help you achieve your desired future life through careful and wise decision making in relation to all aspects of your finances.

Our best conversations today don’t start with a long discussion about your money, your assets and debts, your income and expenditure. Instead, the conversation centres around your hopes and dreams, what you want to achieve in your life and what living life on your terms looks like.  When you are clear about your desired future life, only then does the conversation turn to determining your ability to afford that life and how we can help you make the life you want a reality.

While developing a financial plan that will guide you to achieve your desired life requires all our expertise, experience and financial planning tools, the process of achieving it is relatively straightforward. We take you through several phases of work to ensure the plan that is developed is robust and gives you the best chance of achieving your future objectives.

Your goals

This is the most critical of all the phases. It’s not simply a chat that might appear to be rambling around without any sense of direction. Instead this is where we carefully prompt you and try to guide you, to help you envision what your best future life looks like. What’s important to you? Where will you live? When would you like to stop working? What will make you and your family happy? What do you want to achieve?

Your plan

Once we get clear on what this future life looks like, we can start thinking about what is needed financially to make it a reality. Maybe you have enough money to do all of it now, and just need to go out and live your life without worry. Or maybe you need to make some changes to achieve that life – you might need to save a bit more now, reduce your expenditure or be prepared to work a year or two longer to make it happen. We’ll develop that picture for you and let you see the choices you might need to make.

As part of this, we may use some clever technology that enables us to map out your future cashflows for the rest of your life – how much money you will have every year and whether you will have enough to live the life that you want. Yes, we are making a range of assumptions around this, but these assumptions will be fine-tuned during the lifetime of your plan to increase the accuracy of the forecasts.

Your products (if any)

This is the phase of work we are traditionally associated with. While it’s really important that we get this piece just right, it’s also the most straightforward of all of the phases. We use our knowledge of the market to identify the optimal set of financial products and investments to help you achieve your goals in life.

Your future life

And then the journey begins! At this point you are well set up to achieve your goals in life, but regular contact and scheduled meetings sit at the heart of lifestyle financial planning. These ongoing interactions turn the plan into a real journey towards you achieving your lifetime ambitions. The regular meetings are the opportunity to review and restate your goals, consider again the assumptions used, review the progress and performance of the actions and products that were implemented, and to keep you on track in terms of your behaviours with your money and investments.

We will guide you every step of the way, helping you make the wisest decisions as you progress on your path towards your financial goals. At the end of the day, our success and satisfaction comes from watching our clients living the lives they want to lead, without worrying about money.

Are you ready to identify and achieve the life that you want to live?

ESG Investing is here to stay. This is being driven firstly by a raft of new regulations and legislation coming from the EU around responsible investing, ensuring that investment managers consider carefully the ESG credentials of the assets in which they invest.

However, it is equally driven by consumer sentiment. Investors are increasingly seeking to align their financial goals with their values and contribute to a more sustainable future. This demand has prompted the development of a wide range of investment options that prioritise environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors.

The environmental dimension focuses on investments that support climate action, renewable energy, resource efficiency, and conservation. Investments in this area aim to reduce carbon emissions, promote clean technologies, and protect natural resources. Social sustainability emphasises investments that promote human rights, working conditions, diversity and inclusion, and community development. Investments may target healthcare, education, affordable housing, and poverty alleviation. Lastly, governance relates to investments that prioritise ethical leadership, transparent corporate practices, and accountability.

To invest according to your own sustainability preferences, you have various strategies at your disposal. One approach is divestment, where you avoid investments in certain sectors or companies that don't align with your values. For instance, if you're concerned about fossil fuel usage, you may choose investments that avoid oil and gas companies. Divestment is a powerful way to send a message to industries and encourage them to transition towards more sustainable practices.

Another strategy is engagement, which involves actively participating in the decision-making processes of companies. This is very common among institutional funds that hold large shareholdings, but is also available to some extent to all shareholders. As a shareholder, you can attend the company’s AGM and engage with management to advocate for sustainable changes within the company's operations. By using your influence, you can encourage companies to adopt better ESG practices, reduce their environmental impact, and improve social outcomes.

ESG-focused funds incorporate environmental, social, and governance factors into their investment decision-making process. These funds evaluate companies based on their sustainability performance, considering metrics like carbon footprint, working practices, and board diversity. ESG-focused funds enable investors to align their portfolios with their values, while also looking to achieve their financial goals. Fortunately, the market offers a variety of investment options that cater to different sustainability criteria.

To find suitable investment products, the best place to start is by assessing your own sustainability preferences. Consider the environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors that matter most to you. Do you prioritise environmental issues like climate change and renewable energy? Or are social factors like human rights and community development your primary focus? Perhaps you place great importance on strong corporate governance practices. Understanding your preferences will help you narrow down the search for the most appropriate investment products for you.

Once you have a clear idea of your sustainability preferences, then talk to us. We will provide valuable guidance and help you navigate the complex landscape of sustainable investment products and will help you select the products and funds that align best with your preferences.

By thoroughly researching the options available, we can ensure that your investments are in line with your sustainability values. Taking an active approach to sustainability-related aspects of your investments demonstrates your commitment to making a positive impact, while all the time seeking the required financial returns.

In summary, sustainable investments require a thoughtful approach. Begin by identifying your sustainability preferences, before seeking our guidance to gain a deeper understanding of the sustainability-related aspects of investment products. We’ll then take the time to research the sustainability attributes of potential investment products to ensure that your current and future investments meet your personal sustainability preferences.

The result? You are investing for a financial return exactly as you always would, but now you are also investing in line with your values.