Three questions that can lead you to financial happiness


Category: Family & financial planning & Financial Planning for individuals/families & Life Planning

Managing your finances in a way that helps you to live a life that is filled with joy, meaning and purpose may seem complex, but it all starts with some surprisingly simple questions.

“Wealth is the ability to fully experience life,” said Henry David Thoreau. Certainly creating a financial plan which enables you to live a life which is filled with meaning, joy and purpose is a far worthier goal than the simple acquisition of funds.

The problem for most of us, however, is deciding what kind of life it is exactly that we want to experience. When it comes to understanding our most deeply held values and beliefs, many of us find it surprisingly difficult to step back from day to day business and demands and clearly see what it is we hold most dear.

It was with this dilemma in mind that George Kinder, founder of the Kinder Institute of Financial Life Planning, devised The Three Questions, posed by Serenity Financial life planners to all new clients to help them draw out essential values and life goals.

QUESTION 1:

Imagine you are financially secure, that you have enough money to take care of your needs, now and in the future. How would you live your life? Would you change anything? Let yourself go. Don’t hold back on your dreams. Describe a life that is complete and richly yours.

QUESTION 2:

Now imagine that you visit your doctor, who tells you that you have only 5-10 years to live. You won’t ever feel sick, but you will have no notice of the moment of your death. What will you do in the time you have remaining? Will you change your life and how will you do it given your current financial circumstances?

QUESTION 3:

Finally, imagine that your doctor shocks you with the news that you only have 24 hours to live. Notice what feelings arise as you confront your very real mortality. Ask yourself: What did you miss? Who did you not get to be? What did you not get to do?

As you ponder your answers, consider that in financial life planning, as with most things, balance is key. It’s wonderful to envision your life unhindered by financial restraints. But as you move through the questions you will begin identify what is vital in your life. Family and relationships often rate high, but often so does the need to be creative. More spiritual issues might also come to the fore, the desire to give something back or to have a positive impact in the world.

What does this have to do with your finances you might ask? Everything. When you understand what kind of life it is that you want to fully experience, then you can begin to build a financial plan which will help you to achieve the wealth you need to live it.

If you’d like to find out more about our financial life planning, call us on 0800 633 5119 or click here to find a Financial Life Planner near you

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