Investment planning can be a great way to help your financial goals become a reality; maybe you want to invest for growth for the future or generate an income. We can help.
Whether you have accumulated different pots of money already or would like to start thinking about an effective investment planning strategy, our financial planners can help you understand what next steps you need to take to make the most out of your financial situation.
As part of the investment planning process, we do all the research for you, structure your savings and investments in the most tax-efficient way, and recommend an investment strategy that suits your needs.
The Balance Wealth Investment Portfolios
We will consider whether our range of investment portfolios are suitable for you. However, as independent financial planners, we will consider all investment options when forming our bespoke advice for you, and recommend something different if that’s the best fit for you.
The Balance Wealth Investment Portfolios come in two ranges, each with 10 risk levels, global investment exposure, and low costs:
The Core Portfolio range – This is a popular choice, with global investment exposure.
The Good Practice Portfolio range – This is growing in popularity, having filters applied to reduce exposure to companies considered to be causing greatest harm to our environment and society, and positively tilt towards companies considered to have better sustainable practices.
You can read more about our investment portfolios and philosophy on our dedicated investment website.
The savings and investment planning process
To provide you with an effective investment planning strategy, we have to understand a few key fundamentals first:
- The whole picture – We look at your entire financial situation, not just your savings and investments. As a result, we can provide a better investment planning strategy by taking a holistic approach.
- Your goals – We also need to understand your goals and what you want to achieve with your wealth. Why are you saving? What purpose does this money have? At Balance: Wealth Planning, we don’t believe in just having money for the sake of it; it’s there to be enjoyed.
- Risk – Another important consideration is your tolerance of risk. When investing, money can go down and up, so understanding what level of fluctuations you feel comfortable with is key.
- Timescales – Timing is important, and knowing when you’d like to do things can impact how long you plan to invest. Investments into the stock market should be taken over the long term to avoid significant losses.
- Investment preferences – We also have a detailed conversation about your investment preferences. For example, we need to know if there are any causes, sectors, or companies you want to invest in or avoid, so we can make sure your investment planning strategy reflects your wishes.
The benefits of investment planning
There are many benefits of working with a financial planner on your savings and investment plan, but here are the key reasons to make sure you have one:
- It can increase your savings – saving without an investment plan is possible, but it may not be the most efficient way of doing things. We’ll have a clear picture of your income and expenditure and can recommend the right amount to save. 11% of UK households have a savings shortfall but have no idea – including people with a lot of wealth (who may still have little liquidity).
- Being prepared for emergencies – one of the key components of a good investment plan, is having an emergency fund, and one substantial enough for your circumstances should the worst happen. Research shows that half of the people in the UK don’t have money set aside for emergencies. While working, that focus might be about replacing your income if you are made redundant for example. In retirement, our planning may be more around protecting you from extreme market volatility.
- Peace of mind – With a good savings and investment plan in place, you know that you have enough now to cover your monthly expenses and also invest for your future goals.
- The right amount of risk – Following our thorough assessment of your situation, you’ll know that anything you do invest for the future will be aligned with your tolerance of risk.
Working with a financial planner on your savings and investment plan
Once we understand these fundamentals, we can recommend a diverse portfolio that suits your plans now and in the future. Incorporating this, we will map out your wealth over your lifetime, using cash-flow planning to show you what you can (and can’t) do financially.
If you would like to discuss your investment planning strategy with one of our financial planners, please book a meeting online, or contact us to discuss your situation further.
