Goal based financial planning is a method which can help you achieve multiple goals across different stages of life. There are some common life-stage goals of most investors e.g. buying a house, children’s higher education and marriage, retirement planning and leaving an estate for your loved ones. In addition to these goals, some clients may have other goals specific to their individual needs and aspirations e.g. planning for a foreign vacation, buying / building a vacation home, saving a corpus to start a business, accumulating for early retirement etc. Goal based planning is the process of defining different goals, quantifying these goals factoring in inflation and having an investment plan to meet these goals.
Having a goal based financial plan, saving and investing according to your financial plans, will help you ensure financial security and achieve different goals in a time-bound way.
Many investors think that saving money will ensure financial security and success in achieving goals. However, saving money is not enough. We have multiple goals in life. To achieve your long term financial goals, you need to grow your money by investing it. Your money will grow more, if you invest over a longer period of time – this is known as power of compounding. Financial planning will help you estimate how you need to save for different goals, where to invest your savings and for how long to invest.
Financial planning also prepares you for unexpected adversities e.g. unexpected loss of employment, serious illnesses, untimely death etc, which may put your and your family’s financial goals at risk. Having a contingency fund in liquid investments, adequate health and life insurance covers are also part of financial planning.
Goal based financial planning is usually a six step process:-
We had mentioned earlier that discipline is essential in achieving financial success. Focus and discipline are two most important attributes for achieving success in any walk of life. Focus is a mental / emotional quality that prevents you from getting distracted from your goal. Discipline is how you maintain focus as you work towards your goal. Focus and discipline are required for planning and execution of our financial goals.
For example, when we plan for a holiday, we are focused on the destination, mode of transport, duration of the holiday, travel dates, developing an itinerary and planning to the minutest level to make the most of the place we choose. While some bohemian travelers may disagree, most family persons will agree that careful planning makes a holiday much more enjoyable. You will be able to save costs by booking your tickets and hotels early, know what to do, have sufficient time to enjoy different sights and experiences, avoid inconveniences for your family etc.
Similarly when we think of cooking, we plan on what cuisine we want, the ingredients, style of cooking, garnishing, serving it and finally devouring it. It involves a fair amount of planning, including knowing the recipe, prepping the vegetables, making the masala, having sufficient time for the masala and vegetables to cook properly, garnishing and finally serving it to your friends or family. Going without a plan is a recipe for disaster like, scrambling at the last minute, risking injury to your fingers due to desperate hurry, burnt masala and not having enough time to cook the dish properly.
Like the travelling and cooking examples, planning is crucial to success in your financial goals. Not having a plan will lead to undesirable experience and much more serious consequences than the two examples above. Hence the importance of goal based financial planning.
In this article, we discussed why you need to have a goal based financial plan. It is equally important for investors to understand, that an investment plan on paper or spreadsheet is useless unless you start executing on it. The earlier you start investing, irrespective of amounts, higher is your chance of succeeding in your financial goals. It is also important to understand that over time your financial situation and your goals will also change. It is always prudent to regularly review and adjust your financial plan.
Goal based financial planning is simply a structured approach to goal based investing that can ensure a much higher chance of success in meeting your financial goals. It is always recommended to engage a financial planner or advisor, if you think you need help. The most important success factor in financial planning is your commitment towards the plan for your family’s financial security. Make an investment plan according to your goals. More importantly, start saving and investing.
View the infographic on goal based investing
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