When clients arrive at our office for the first time, they usually bring two things: a folder of statements, and a quiet anxiety that they are leaving money on the table. Almost without exception, the folder contains good investments. The anxiety is not about the investments — it is about not being able to see how the parts fit together.
Why writing matters
A written plan does three things a verbal one cannot. It forces clarity — vague intentions have nowhere to hide on a page. It creates a record — six months from now, you and I both remember why we chose what we chose. And it lets you sleep — because the plan does not live in your head anymore.
We treat the written plan as the deliverable. Everything else — the investments, the insurance, the corporate structure — is implementation of that document.
What goes in
Net worth. Cash flow. Goals dated to the year. The investment policy in a sentence. The insurance coverage with its expiry. The will, the beneficiaries, the powers of attorney. The tax strategy for the next twelve months. The next conversation we are scheduled to have.
It is a short document. Twelve to twenty pages, usually. And it is the most valuable piece of paper most of our clients own.