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Financial Life Planning

Well done, good and faithful servant

Your Financial LifePlan provides more than a basic roadmap—it delivers an inspiring sense of purpose for your life and a team to help you see it through.

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Energy

Life is best lived with passion. Your Financial LifePlan breathes renewed energy and a clear vision for the life you’re called to live.

Clarity

The world is full of distractions. Your Financial LifePlan helps you cut through the noise and ruthlessly prioritize what’s most important.

Direction

Your Financial LifePlan helps you break free from anxiety, laying a strong foundation to make wise decisions and navigate life’s twists and turns.

What to Expect & Meetings Overview

Dave’s Story

As an entrepreneur, Dave has ridden the waves—celebrating the highs and enduring the lows. Yet even in the valleys, Dave remained steadfast in his commitment to others. Looking for a financial advisor to come alongside him on his journey, Dave turned to LifeGuide to help him leverage his skills and resources to leave an eternal impact for the Kingdom of God.

This testimonial video is from a selected LifeGuide Financial Advisors client. Dave was not provided with any compensation with respect to this testimonial. His testimonial is for informational purposes only and is not representative of all client experiences, which may differ substantially.

Financial Life Planning

A better way

While many financial planning processes can help you maximize your net worth, they fall short of helping you be a faithful and wise steward. Our Financial Life Planning process, adapted from leading planning frameworks, aims to provide truly comprehensive, biblically-based Financial Life Planning.

A better way

While many financial planning processes can help you maximize your net worth, they fall short of helping you be a faithful and wise steward. Our Financial Life Planning process, adapted from leading planning frameworks, aims to provide truly comprehensive, biblically-based Financial Life Planning.

Helping you answer the important questions

What's the wise thing to do?

  • How much should I be investing vs. spending vs. giving?
  • Am I living and spending in a way consistent with what’s most important to me? 
  • How can I break through what’s been holding me back?
  • How can I ensure I’m giving to the right places?
  • How much is enough? What’s my finish line?
  • How do I structure my investments to balance safety and growth?
  • How much should I be investing vs. spending vs. giving?
  • Am I living and spending in a way consistent with what’s most important to me? 
  • How can I break through what’s been holding me back?
  • How can I ensure I’m giving to the right places?
  • How much is enough? What’s my finish line?
  • How do I structure my investments to balance safety and growth?

I'm considering retiring or changing jobs...

  • When can I afford to retire or do something different so I can finally do what I’m passionate about?
  • What pension option should I choose? 
  • When should I begin collecting Social Security?
  • What should I do about health insurance?
  • How much can we spend and not run out of money? 
  • How should I change my investments? 
  • What do I need to know about RMDs, QCDs, and Roth conversions? 
  • When can I afford to retire or do something different so I can finally do what I’m passionate about?
  • What pension option should I choose? 
  • When should I begin collecting Social Security?
  • What should I do about health insurance?
  • How much can we spend and not run out of money? 
  • How should I change my investments? 
  • What do I need to know about RMDs, QCDs, and Roth conversions? 

What happens if...

  • One of us dies prematurely?
  • We need to move into a retirement facility or need home health care?
  • The market has another big drop?
  • One of us has to stop working?
  • One of us dies prematurely?
  • We need to move into a retirement facility or need home health care?
  • The market has another big drop?
  • One of us has to stop working?

How should we...

  • Minimize taxes and maximize our giving?
  • Make sure we are invested appropriately for our age, future goals, and cash flow needs?
  • Invest in a way that makes a positive impact?
  • Make sure we are not profiting from business practices and products that violate our beliefs?
  • Best save for our kids’ and grandkids’ educations?
  • Minimize taxes and maximize our giving?
  • Make sure we are invested appropriately for our age, future goals, and cash flow needs?
  • Invest in a way that makes a positive impact?
  • Make sure we are not profiting from business practices and products that violate our beliefs?
  • Best save for our kids’ and grandkids’ educations?

How do I...

  • Cultivate a proper perspective on money and manage my finances according to the teachings of Jesus?
  • Make sure my estate doesn’t create a burden for my family when I die?
  • Pass on my values and financial wisdom to my children and grandchildren?
  • Inspire a spirit of generosity in myself, my spouse, and the rest of my family?
  • Ensure my spouse has a plan, is equipped, and has help managing our finances if I die first?
  • Cultivate a proper perspective on money and manage my finances according to the teachings of Jesus?
  • Make sure my estate doesn’t create a burden for my family when I die?
  • Pass on my values and financial wisdom to my children and grandchildren?
  • Inspire a spirit of generosity in myself, my spouse, and the rest of my family?
  • Ensure my spouse has a plan, is equipped, and has help managing our finances if I die first?

Frequently Asked Questions:
Financial Life Planning

What is LifeGuide's planning philosophy?

We’ve consistently seen that the deeper our clients hold and implement LifeGuide’s Planning Principles, the better the results they achieve:

  1. Money is only a means to an end. 
    1. This one is crucial: Money is not an end in itself. Money’s value resides in its ability to meet needs and turn goals into reality—that’s it! We don’t invest for the sake of investing or save solely for the sake of saving. In fact, we have no idea what you should do with your money until we clearly understand what you want your money to do for you.

      In other words:
      Your LifePlan is goal driven.
  2. Your lifestyle, career, values, relationships, faith, and financial decisions are all interconnected.
    1. A good physician reviews your entire health history and lifestyle, performs a thorough physical exam, identifies your medications, and understands your health goals prior to prescribing treatment. In the same way, we believe it’s equally important to have a complete understanding of your goals, concerns, values, and current financial picture prior to making any recommendations. Because every decision could have long-reaching effects, each decision must be evaluated and aligned in order to achieve the desired result. There are no independent decisions. Important decisions should not be made in isolation or based on emotion. Instead, they should always be made in the context of your overall LifePlan.

      In other words:
      Your LifePlan is holistic.
  3. Plans must be goal-driven, not product-centric.
    1. A comprehensive plan provides the context needed to design your portfolio and select the appropriate insurance products. Once you know where you’re headed, what you need, and how it should all fit together, you’re able to make better, more coordinated decisions.

      In other words:
      The Financial Life Planning approach is plan-centric, not product-centric.
  4. Plans should be constructed from the ground up based on your individual situation.
    1. You are unique. You have your own goals, passions, values, concerns, and starting point. While rules of thumb are fast and easy, they are inadequate for both today’s and tomorrow’s complex financial world. Automated, cookie-cutter planning approaches produce pages upon pages of financial analysis that often sit on the shelf and collect dust. By starting with a blank sheet of paper and custom tailoring your LifePlan around your specific situation, we’re able to produce an understandable, useful, stress-tested, and results-driven plan.

      In other words:
      Your LifePlan is custom tailored, understandable, and clearly communicated.
  5. Plans must be meticulously carried out.
    1. Because we want every client to succeed, we not only translate your goals into an actionable plan, we provide ongoing accountability and guidance to help you stay on course. Whether you have an advanced knowledge of finances or are learning the basics, we will present your LifePlan in a way that’s meaningful to you. After each meeting, you’ll receive a list of specific action items to complete as well as the support needed to help you get it done. Your LifePlan is a living document, updated and referenced regularly to help keep you on track.

      In other words:
      Your LifePlan is designed to be practical and diligently implemented.
  6. It’s difficult to manage your own money, especially when the going gets tough.
    1. For the vast majority of people, financial decisions are too complex and emotionally charged to consistently make wise decisions over the course of a lifetime. And the stakes are high: just one or two bad decisions clouded by emotion or limited perspective can have significant, unintended consequences for years to come. Having a skilled and trusted advisor, however, brings a calming clarity and objectivity that cuts through emotion and confusion during challenging times. Important or uncomfortable decisions too often get placed on the back burner, only to come to the forefront in times of crisis—at which time it may, unfortunately, be too late. We aim to uncover your blind spots, encourage you when you need encouragement, teach you when you need to be taught, and motivate you when you need motivation.

      In other words:
      A trusted advisor increases your probability of success.

What topics will my Financial LifePlan address?

Your comprehensive Financial LifePlan dives into every aspect of your financial picture. It lays a strong foundation of the “what” and “why” of your life, and then clearly lays out the stress-tested, analyzed “how” to get you there.

Typical areas we address include:

  • Goal discovery, clarification, and quantification
  • Budgeting and cash flow management
  • Retirement income planning and stress testing
  • Education and large expense planning
  • Pension option selection
  • Social Security claiming strategies
  • Tax planning strategies
  • Asset and income protection
  • Legacy planning and heir preparation
  • Financial training for children and grandchildren
  • Widow and widower support
  • Charitable giving strategies
  • Investment portfolio structuring and asset location
  • Business and farm succession planning
  • Executive compensation planning

Why do I need a Financial LifePlan?

At LifeGuide, we see money as a tool to meet needs, turn goals into a reality, live generously, and leave a lasting impact. Every person’s life, situation, and goals are completely unique.

This is where your Financial LifePlan comes in. Until we know the kind of life you want to live, the legacy you want to leave, and what you want your money to do for you, we don’t know what to do with your money. We’re in business to help families achieve financial peace, freedom, and eternal impact because we believe these three principles are foundational to a fulfilled life.

So, your comprehensive Financial LifePlan helps clearly define what’s most important and provides a practical, stress-tested roadmap to help get you there.

We’ve seen time and again how our comprehensive Financial LifePlans provide clients:

  • Broader perspective
    • Defining goals, putting things in order, addressing problem areas, and seeing how dreams can become a reality can help promote a broader perspective.
  • Reduced fear and anxiety
    • Throughout the process, we provide insight and wisdom. We help discern fact from fiction, create simplicity from complexity, and separate emotion from reason. This helps alleviate anxiety by providing a clear understanding of risks and how to address them.
  • Freedom to enjoy and give
    • Clear, understandable, and achievable plans unlock the hesitancy to give and unleash the ability to spend time doing the things that matter most.
  • Wise decision-making
    • The clearer the plan, the easier it is to make wise decisions. Financial LifePlans reveal the future impact of today’s decisions, eliminating the need to guess or rely on simplistic rules of thumb.
  • Goal achievement
    • Without a plan, achieving your goals is left to chance. A LifePlan allows you to intentionally focus your time, talent, and resources on making your dreams a reality.
  • Living consistent with values
    • LifePlans help to bring a practical alignment between what you value most and your day-to-day decision-making.
  • Unity, determination, and resolve
    • LifePlans create a common financial language and shared vision for you and your family. Determination, resolve, and teamwork emerge when everyone knows where they are going and what they need to do to get there.

What do meetings look like?

Our Financial Life Planning meetings are designed to help you experience a new level of clarity and inspiration around your finances. We’ve seen time and again the breakthroughs our clients experience, and how these fuel progress toward their goals as they have never seen.

Initial Meetings

  1. Exploration Meeting
    1. Purpose: Get to know each other
    2. Deliverable: Your personalized fee and service proposal
  2. Vision Meeting
    1. Purpose: Identify and clarify your why- your purpose, priorities, and passions
    2. Deliverable: Your “Essential Elements”
  3. Strategies Meeting
    1. Purpose: Uncover any obstacles to success and develop strategies for overcoming them
    2. Deliverable: Your Obstacles, Strategies, and Plans
  4. LifePlan Presentation & Recommendations Meeting
    1. Purpose: Review your personalized plan and our advice and recommendations.
    2. Deliverable: Your comprehensive Financial LifePlan and NextStep recommendations
  5. Portfolio Design & Implementation Meeting
    1. Purpose: Review your recommended portfolio design and select your investment strategy based on your personal convictions, values, and preferences.
    2. Deliverable: Your personalized portfolio and investment recommendations (includes recommendations for your employer retirement plans)

Ongoing Meetings

  1. OnTrack Review Meetings
    1. Purpose: Answer questions, review progress, and make adjustments as life unfolds
    2. Deliverable: A follow-up email summarizing progress, next steps, and smart ideas
  2. Check-in Calls or Meetings
    1. Purpose: Discuss urgent situations and questions
    2. Deliverable: A follow-up summary email

Learn more about our meeting structure and what to expect »

What principles lay the foundation for LifeGuide's planning approach?

Principles for Financial Success:

  1. Recognize that God owns it all
  2. Take a long-term view
  3. Spend less than you earn
  4. Plan for financial margin
  5. Minimize the use of debt
  6. Be generous

Lifestyle: The Bible does not explicitly define an appropriate lifestyle. Financial contentment is not achieved by arriving at a particular lifestyle but rather from living within the means of God’s provision.

Investing: Investing is a means to an end, not an end in and of itself. Wealth is generally built by systematically saving over time. There is wisdom in seeking professional counsel and following a principled investment strategy in the context of a comprehensive LifePlan.

Net Worth: It is not possible to accumulate enough to feel financially secure, significant, or fulfilled. Each person’s “ENOUGH” is unique to them and should be determined through prayer and careful planning. Net worth is only a measure of God’s provision and not of significance or success.

Generosity & Giving: Generosity is core to the character of God. Since we are created in His image, we were made to give. Giving benefits both the receiver and the donor. Generosity is an effective antidote for greed. Giving should be done regularly, cheerfully, intentionally, and proportionately to income.

Goals & Guardrails: Goals and guardrails help us identify and prioritize what we value most. Goals are to be achieved. Guardrails are not to be violated. Effective planning begins with short- and long-term goals. Goals are a statement of faith and one way to see God at work. Goals are measured in terms of desired results and time. Guardrails help keep us on track by alerting us when we need to correct course.

Debt: Borrowing is not in and of itself wrong. Chronic, consumptive borrowing causes stress, limits financial flexibility, and mortgages the future. Debt often becomes a barrier to peace and fulfillment. A husband and wife should be in harmony about borrowing decisions. It is important to teach children about the dangers of debt. One of the keys to financial freedom is becoming totally debt free.

Insurance: Insurance is an integral part of a comprehensive LifePlan. Purchasing appropriate insurance does not demonstrate a lack of faith but rather prudent planning. Using insurance to protect against every risk and achieve total peace of mind is not possible. Only God can provide true peace and security.

Taxes: Careful tax planning with the goal of not paying unnecessary taxes is prudent. However, it should never be the ultimate driving force in financial decisions. Taxes should be calculated and paid honestly. In many ways, taxes are an indicator of God’s blessings.

Legacy Planning: Legacy planning is more than just estate planning. Both money and wisdom can be passed on for future generations. Money left without wisdom can have unforeseen and undesirable consequences. Legacy planning should begin early in life and consider the impact on beneficiaries as its primary objective. Fair does not always mean equal. Beneficiaries should appropriately be prepared and not surprised by legacy planning decisions.

I'm not a Christian. Can I still benefit from LifeGuide's Financial Life Planning process?

Absolutely. If you seek to live intentionally, generously, and impactfully, we’ve built our firm for you.

We seek to serve everyone with kindness, respect, and honesty. We have clients from a variety of faith traditions, including those who do not view faith as an important part of their life. While we operate from a Christian worldview, we realize everyone is at a unique place on their journey. We meet you wherever you are to help you live intentionally, generously, and impactfully.

Trustworthiness, integrity, expertise and values - these were the key factors we searched for in choosing a financial advisor. Zak and the LifeGuide team not only met our needs, but have exceeded our expectations. Having a plan based on our income, future dreams, and most importantly, the ability to invest in a way that matches our personal values has given us great peace of mind.— Ken & DianeAs posted in Ken & Diane's Google Review

The presented testimonial is from a current LifeGuide Financial Advisors client and was obtained via a third-party website. LifeGuide Financial Advisors reached out to a random sample of clients requesting voluntary feedback. Clients were not provided any compensation with respect to said testimonials. The testimonial provided is for informational purposes only and is not representative of all client experiences, which may differ substantially. Click here to view all the testimonials received by LifeGuide Financial Advisors on Google My Business.

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