The Planning Process

The Planning Process

The following describes the steps in the planning process.

It is important to remember that you are in control of the entire process. At any stage you can decide whether you would like to continue, change or stop the process.

You do not incur any fees or obligations during the period that you are deciding whether to go ahead or not. After the initial meeting, if you decide to proceed with a plan, we will provide you with a quote in writing and it is only after you have received and accepted the quote in writing that future work will be charged.

First contact

The first contact may be in person, by email or telephone. At this point we will have a chat, answer questions and see if you would like to make an appointment.

Should you decide to progress to the next stage, we will give you a list of items to bring with you for the initial appointment. This information will help us to decide whether our services will be of value for you and this information will assist us in giving you a quote at the end of the initial appointment.

Initial appointment

At this meeting, which can be face to face or over the telephone, we discuss the reasons why you are seeking advice and what you expect from us. This leads to a discussion about your goals and what you would like to achieve. Once these goals have been identified we continue with the detailed fact find of your current situation and goals.

At the end of the initial appointment we are normally able to quote a fee to prepare the plan. Up to this point you have not incurred any fees or obligations.

The next step is for you to decide at the meeting or at a later date whether you would like to go ahead and have us prepare a financial plan.

Preparing the Plan

Once you have accepted our quote in writing, we prepare the plan. See What is in The Plan for an in-depth discussion of the plan. We may also contact you for clarification or for further details.

Presentation of the Plan

This is an interactive session where we spend time with you going over the plan and explaining our strategies and recommendations. We also explain the financial modelling of what your situation might look like if you follow our plan.

In Your Interest Financial Planning has clients throughout Australia. We are equally comfortable with presenting our plan in person or via telephone, email and Australia Post.

Implementation

Once you have had the time and opportunity to consider and evaluate your plan, we meet (face to face or by telephone) to answer the resulting questions and to make decisions. At this meeting we confirm any required changes and discuss how to implement the resulting recommendations.

In Your Interest Financial Planning prepares and processes the required paperwork. Any investment applications and insurance applications are submitted and followed up until completion. We provide updates throughout the process and in many cases can arrange online access to required information.

Ongoing Advice

Once the agreed upon strategies have been implemented, the ongoing review process begins. This covers any advice as and when it is required plus a regular review process. It is important to ensure that you are on track to meet your goals and that the plan is adjusted as needed if circumstances change. We will also answer further questions and requests for advice throughout the year as part of the ongoing advice.