A holistic planning approach: what we actually mean

Holistic planning is a comprehensive approach that takes into account all aspects of a person’s financial situation. Rather than focusing on one product (a term policy, an RRSP, a group plan) we look at how the pieces fit, and where they fight each other.

The work has a few consistent parts. Goals, written in time and money, not slogans. Cash flow, so the plan is funded. Protection, so a diagnosis or a death does not erase the rest. Tax, because a clever investment that creates a nasty March is not clever. The business, if there is one, because the company and the household are usually the same story in this province. And a review rhythm, because none of this is a one-time event.

This is also why we ask confidential questions in the first meetings. We cannot align money with values we have not heard. Bob’s line is the working rule of the practice: understanding a client’s values, and aligning their finances with them, is how we conduct good business with good people.