At Emanciparé, we spend a lot of time talking to our clients about happiness. Sure, financial planning is rooted in a ton of math. Our message to clients is that after working so hard all your life, doing all the things (work, raising kids, caring for parents) you deserve and have earned happiness. You deserve the best possible rest of your life. I wrote a guest post in the wonderful retirement blog caniretireyet.com on this topic, it’s worth a read. Essentially, we teach clients to lead with their dreams when financial or retirement planning, then (secondarily) see if the math supports it.
For example, it’s not uncommon for us to build a financial plan for clients, and the results show they can afford to spend a lot more than they had planned. At that point, one of them will mention a private dream to own a boat, or RV, or even a vacation home. My point is, they should be leading with that. If it’s their dream, then let’s see if the math says it’s workable. As a bonus, our clients often find they can retire much earlier than they had envisioned. That revelation certainly makes them happy, even if they don’t yet plan to. It feels different going to work when you know you don’t need to be there!
A lot has happened since I posted here two years ago (sorry about that). I was feeling overwhelmed at the time. Through what feels like divine intervention, my prayers were answered and the perfect person showed up to help me with the business and perhaps someday take the reins. I sent a newsletter introducing Grady, but should have as well posted here to welcome him and introduce him. He is younger than I, very talented, and most importantly, devout in his faith. Like me, he genuinely cares about people more than profit, and that’s a rare trait these days.
The Amazing Mr. Grady!
Another big development is that our primary financial planning tool, Pralana Retirement Calculator, has been released in a new online version. It’s far more easy to use in this new format, and the capabilities have vastly improved. This is one of the very few high-fidelity financial planning tools that is available to the public. And it’s the only one that’s ultra private and secure – no linking of your accounts or other messiness to deal with. It’s also quite inexpensive! The new format allows us to easily share the work we’re doing with clients, and turn that work over to them when we’re done, if they prefer.
Speaking of faith, in my last post here two years ago, I documented where I was at in finding my way back. It’s been a rocky road through my life. I was a pious kid, altar boy, read the Bible end to end at around age twelve. My life took some turns for the worst in adulthood. Military, a short period of homelessness, a beloved cousin brutally raped and murdered at age 18, losing my precious little sister to cancer at a young age all took their toll on my psyche. What kind of God allows these things? Thankfully, shortly after that post two years ago, I found those answers and my way back to Christ. It’s greatly helped my own happiness and sense of purpose in life. That has been important in these challenging times. It’s my force field, and helps in working with clients, regardless of their position. If you haven’t already, I highly recommend the incredible series The Chosen (free at their website and the BYUtv app, also on Amazon Prime).
Are you ready to put your financial or retirement stress to bed and get answers to those questions about your financial future? We’re here for you!
