If you were to look down at your financial life from 5,000 feet, what would you see? Spread out before you would be everything in your life with a dollar sign in front of it—all that you own, all that you owe, all of your income and your savings, everything you’ve spent, and everything you intend to spend in the future. What would it look like? Would it be an orderly landscape, carefully planned and organized? Would your goals be clearly visible with well defined pathways leading to them? Or would it be something more haphazard, like a garden without a gardener, assembled in fits and starts with some areas in good shape and others in neglect?
For Chris Everett, owner of Everett Wealth Solutions, taking her clients on the 5,000 foot trip above their life is the first step in a four step process of helping them take control of their personal finances. “For some people, it’s a scary trip that they’ve never been on before,” says Chris, “I tell them to take a deep breath, slow down, and together we will look at the complete picture.” Chris points out that careful listening and close examination of the data can often lead to hidden opportunities in the form of unnecessary expenses. Such expenses can add up and be major obstacles in the way of achieving important life goals, such as retirement and college.
The second step in Everett’s process is helping clients understand their financial choices. “No choice is perfect,” Chris says, “You need to know what all your options are and understand how each solution functions. What the benefits are as well as the risks. No one should ever buy a financial product that they don’t thoroughly understand.”
The third step is making the plan. “This is the part where we really have to work together,” Chris asserts, “We spend a lot of time with our families to help them make good financial choices. Ultimately these are their choices and they have to feel comfortable with them.” Chris stresses that this is not a process that can be rushed. It requires careful deliberation and always with an eye to the client’s financial goals.
For some people the process can end at step three. They can pay a fee and receive their financial plan which they can then implement on their own. Alternatively they can move on to step four and let Everett Wealth Solutions implement the plan for them. Personal wealth solutions can be complicated and for many people, life and family often distract their attention away from the regular management of their financial plan. The implementation team at Everett Wealth Solutions can stay on top of your plan and keep you aware of its progress.
Everett Wealth Solutions, Inc. is located at 407 Marengo Avenue in Forest Park. To find more about how they can help you create your own personal wealth solution, call 708.771.7777 or visit www.EverettWealthSolutions.com.
