Time is our most precious asset.
For each of us our remaining time is unique.
To get the best out of it, we need to understand
how it might unfold and then seriously invest
time to plan our future.
Financial investments
For most of us, money decisions are
challenging. A major reason is that most of us
don’t easily ‘talk money’.
Even with a skillful professional adviser the
conversations can be difficult – like talking
to someone native in another language. To do
a good money job advisers need to help you with
concepts like assets, return on investment,
level of risk, tolerance of risk, diversification,
tax and so on. Enough to make your head spin.
Not surprisingly, many people give consent
to strategies they don’t really understand.
It’s difficult for both you and your adviser.
Time talk
Talking time is a lot easier. We all talk time.
Just think of how often you use time talk to
frame your day. When will I get up, what time
will I leave for the bus, how long will it take,
and so on. Barely an hour goes by without a
time thought.
We use time naturally. It’s easy to share ideas
with others about time. This helps to build
trusting relationships.
Time to Plan
Time talk helps us focus on the key issues
that lie ahead. We can commit more easily
to health and money decisions having first
framed our future through the time lens.
Key issues include:
- How much time will I plan for?
- How well might I be and what could I do about it?
- How can I get more of it?
- Who can help me make best use of it?
- What should I do when it’s running out?
It unusual to go on a journey without a time
plan – including when I’ll start, how long
might it take, how long in each place.
The rest of our life is a journey: it deserves
a time plan too. It’s called a longevity plan.
Investing in time
Time is money? Time has a value but it’s
not like money because you can’t store it
for the future, only make the best use of it.
The free SHAPE Analyser reviews five key
issues that can influence your remaining
time. It suggests a time frame for the rest
of your life, based on your own inputs.
Your Longevity Plan then builds on your
SHAPE results to create an action
framework to underpin your major
decisions, which you can review and adapt
to reflect changes over time. It is truly an
investment for the rest of your life.
