Financial Planning illustrates three financial principles:

  • There are no independent financial decisions.
  • The financial decisions made today have lifetime implications.
  • The longer range your perspective, the better the decision.

Our Planning Process

Our planning process includes an evaluation of the following areas:

Goal setting

Our task is to help our clients determine and set goals in the financial areas of their lives. This will help provide direction and purpose, and hopefully crystallise their thinking as to where they want to be financially and by when.

‘The first step is the hardest to take’ fits the description of goal setting. As simple as it seems, setting meaningful goals is a challenge for most people. Yet, goal setting is the backbone of solid financial planning. We believe that financial planning decisions cannot be made until goals are established.

Education fees planning

Starts with a review of current funds allocated to education fees planning. We undertake a calculation of present funding needs and make recommendations to accomplish funding goals.

Net worth

 Looks at the fundamental issues that must be addressed when clients are wrestling through the question of  “how much is enough?”. Much of our financial planning process is designed to answer this basic question. The key question is not how much but rather “how much for me?”.

Debt

Since debt can sentence one to a lower lifestyle in the future and limit freedom and flexibility, we encourage our clients to minimise and eliminate debt.

Tax Planning

We seek to recognise appropriate strategies for tax planning and evaluate the long term impact of tax on a client's personal financial planning.

 
mortgage advice
 
Cash flow/Living Expenses

We encourage clients to maintain a positive cash flow and consider decreasing living expenses which are encumbering. We will provide a cash flow plan illustrating our clients' cash position over 5, 10 and 15 year time periods.

Charitable Giving

Once we have answered the question of ‘how much is enough?’, completed net worth projections and estate planning projections we are able to help our clients get to grips with how much they are able to give should they wish to do so.

For many Paradigm Norton clients developing a philanthropic giving strategy is a major priority.

Investments

We consider investments a 'tool' to assist our clients in accomplishing their financial goals. We believe that building capital is simply part of the planning process and not an end in itself. It is only when our clients' longer term goals have been determined that the investment portfolio management process can commence.

Retirement

Seeking financial independence which does not necessarily equate to stopping work.

Risk Management

We encourage clients to plan for the unforeseen, to plan for an uncertain future.

Estate Planning

The key question in estate planning is “How much do I leave to my children, to charity and to others?”. Once this question has been answered the appropriate planning techniques can be applied.