Tempus Fugit... so plan how to live it well

Love Song - Abi Morgan

Great financial planning goes beyond the numbers. In my opinion, its about aligning your values and lifestyle to achieve the goals or outcomes that you want. Financial planning, when done well is really about putting the financial architecture around such a plan - a Financial Plan. If this is my assertion then surely it becomes pertinent to ask about values, aspirations and lifestyle as well as all the usual questions about investment risk and so on. I have yet to come across another line of work that actively prompts and achieves this for people and believe that a well thought through values driven financial plan can make a significant difference to the quality of life that you enjoy and share with others.

By now, you will have gathered that I enjoy film, theatre and music - in fact pretty much all arts. Last night I saw a new play by Abi Morgan, the British playwright and screenwriter that seems to have come to the attention of the media due to her film work success with Shame and The Iron Lady as well as Sex Traffic, Brick Lane and  The Hour. The play called "Love Song" is currently showing at the Lyric theatre in Hammersmith (one of the coolest theatres in London). The play follows a couple in their early years interwoven with their twilight days. It is a thoughtful and at times moving story, plotting the hopes, fears, joys and sorrow of a fairly typical relationship. In part it prompts the audience to consider how and what we remember, whilst also pointing to the sadness and inescapable reality that time is short. 

When I meet with clients, all are naturally at various stages of their journey, some are better able to articulate their plans and hopes for the future than others. This is not to suggest that others don't have them, just that in my experience many find it harder to answer questions that have not been posed quite as directly before now. As a result, it is generally my experience that it takes some time to really get to the heart of... well the heart, and why patience and regular reviews can be revitalising and illuminating. This is the bit about my job that I love the most. Some call if financial life planning, for me its doing my job as a financial planner as well as I know how.

Love Song is showing at the Lyric until 4th February and stars Sian Phillips, Leanne Rowe, Edward Bennett and Sam Cox. It is produced by Frantic Assembly. After London the play moves to Glasgow and then to Cardiff.