Keep Your Clients Fiscally Fit

As the New Year begins, you may have clients coming to you with questions about their strategy for the future – or you may be looking to give them a reason to meet with you!

One way to bring value to your relationship is to share tips or help them start off the year strong. These tips can help you encourage them to make sure they’re in great financial shape now and as the year progresses.

Help clients develop a plan and encourage them to be flexible. Use this opportunity to help clients set or evaluate their budget and see what goals they would like to achieve. Allow for unexpected expenses like taxes, cost of living and other investments. They should also consider the needs of any dependents or beneficiaries who may rely on them financially.

Getting out of debt is a fantastic way to achieve better finances. Clients who reduce debt eliminate the burden of payments and can improve their credit score. By helping clients create a strategy for paying down any debt, you can help them be on their way to reaching their retirement goals.

Encourage clients to wait to start taking retirement income. Resisting the temptation to take their money too soon can help your clients avoid tax penalties.

Making the move to downsize their lifestyle will also help. Selling a car or home or even moving to a smaller house can potentially open up more opportunities for your clients to save money.

Make sure your clients know where their money is. Help them understand what they’re spending and what they’re saving for the future. Show them how their retirement strategy is progressing and suggest changes they could make to meet their financial goals. If you haven’t already, take this opportunity to set up annual review appointments.