The LifeFirst Approach
Written by Neil Menzies

“It is not what money is, but what money does”

Helping people plan for all their life’s events and issues is not commonly discussed or accounted for in traditional financial plans. We believe financial planning is so much more than the hard numbers derived from investments and insurance.

Can you relate to some of these questions?

• What will “retirement” be for me?
• What “legacy” do I want to leave my children?
• How can I help to ensure my parents age with grace, dignity and comfort?
• How will I manage the transition from career to retirement?
• How do I protect my family and my life from the unexpected?

We are excited to be expanding our services to you, our valued clientele. We have formalized the process of assisting our clients as they go through various transitions in their lives. Many of these life transitions affect your financial situation.

What is your vision of the things you want to have and do in life? Your cottage on the lake, your trip to Europe, helping your favourite charity, your parents’ health, time with grandchildren? What about your values, your dreams, and your concerns about your life and your money? How does all this impact your plan?

What are your most meaningful life goals? Your values and attitudes help us create the most appropriate plan for your life now and in the future.

Will you achieve your wants? Will your current actions be effective? What actions will be most effective in helping you close any gap between the way things are today and how you want them to be in the future?

How Does the LifeFirst Approach work?

Our focus is to help you better prepare for future transitions in your life. We want to understand your life vision and then apply it to your plan. We want to bring potential future transitions to the surface and discuss them with you.

The LifeFirst Approach is a systematic method of providing resources to assist you with the various transitions you are or will be facing. Transitions such as; marriage, divorce, having a child, purchasing a home, changing occupations, growing a business, selling a business, reaching financial independence, changing health, aging, etc.

This process deals with the concept of financial comfort. It is about aligning money and financial assets so they are positive and a comfort in your next phase of life and not a stressor or an aggravator. You will have the knowledge you are using your capital in a way that goes beyond simply looking after your normal living expenses.

Many of these resources are internal within our firm. Other resources are provided by allied professionals we work closely with.

How do I learn more about how this may apply to me?

All the advisors in our Firm are now trained in this new process. We would welcome the opportunity to discuss your specific situation in more detail with you, and how this process may be of benefit.

We want to help you turn success into significance.

This article is solely the work of Arbutus Financial for the private information of our clients. Although we are registered Mutual Fund Representatives with Dundee Private Investors Inc. (“Dundee Private Investors”), this is not an official publication of Dundee Private Investors. The views (including any recommendations) expressed in this newsletter are those of the author alone, and they have not been approved by, and are not necessarily those of, Dundee Private Investors