Chapter 9. A Financial Planning Model

Jennifer and I drove to the restaurant for our last meeting with Aunt Katherine. Snow began to fall on the windshield, the snowflakes touching and then melting quickly. I thought about the seasons in Colorado and how they seemed to change so quickly, just like the different seasons of our lives. Just a few years ago, we were in college ourselves; then came the wedding, the births of our kids, and soon we'll be sending them off to college, too. The seasons continually change.

We found Aunt Katherine in the same booth as always.

"Good afternoon!" she said, smiling. "Isn't this snow beautiful?"

"It sure is," we agreed. I looked down at my notes. "I'm so excited about our plan," I said. "We sat down and talked and created it together. Jennifer and I are now officially on the same page." Then I added, smiling, "Only one problem."

"What's that?" asked Aunt Katherine.

"We don't know where to go from here."

Jennifer smiled. "That's right."

"Well, a good financial planning model has three fundamental, key elements that a financial adviser can help you develop. You'll need to sit down with someone who can guide you and Jennifer along the way."

"What are the three elements?"

"That's something your financial adviser can share with you. He or she will cover everything once you sit down to talk about your goals. I can tell you, but you'd just be getting information secondhand."

"I'm definitely going to call an adviser, but I want you to tell me. What are the three ...

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