How to Create a Financial Plan Aligned with Your Life Goals

Aligning your financial plans with your life goals gives you a clear sense of purpose and direction. It helps you prioritize your spending, saving, and investing decisions based on what truly matters to you. Additionally, having specific life goals motivates you to stick to your financial plan, even when faced with challenges or temptations to overspend. Knowing that your financial decisions are bringing you closer to achieving your dreams can keep you focused and disciplined.

Not all financial goals carry the same level of importance. Incorporating your life goals allows you to prioritize them based on their significance to you, and having this clarity makes decision making easier. This ensures that you allocate your resources effectively and pursue what matters most to you.

Your life goals serve as benchmarks for measuring your financial progress. Regularly assessing how close you are to achieving each goal allows you to adjust your plan as needed and celebrate milestones along the way. Keep in mind that your goals may change over time due to shifting priorities, circumstances, or aspirations. Having your life goals incorporated into your financial plan allows you to adapt and revise your strategies accordingly, ensuring that your plan remains relevant and effective.

Financial goals often vary based on age due to differences in income, expenses, responsibilities, and priorities. And, like your life goals, they can change over time. Here are some common life and financial goals associated with different life stages.

In Your 20s

When you're in your twenties, your goals may center around getting started on the right foot. You're likely looking to establish a fulfilling career path, gain experience, and advance professionally by building your network. You might also be working on cultivating healthy habits and exploring new places, cultures, and experiences before settling down.

One of the main financial focuses for individuals in their twenties is building a solid financial foundation, including budgeting, saving, and reducing debt. They could also be working toward establishing a positive credit history and starting to invest in a 401(k) or IRA to start saving for retirement and take advantage of compounding returns over time.

In Your 30s

For individuals in their thirties, their life goals may start to shift. Their new goals could include purchasing a home or investing in real estate, starting a family, and career advancement. Work-life balance may become more of a focus as they try to prioritize time for family, hobbies, and personal interests alongside career responsibilities.

These life goals lend themselves to some significant financial goals for people in their thirties. If their goal is homeownership, they could be working toward saving for a down payment on a home and considering mortgage options to purchase a primary residence or investment property to build long-term wealth. Having a goal of starting a family includes budgeting for the costs associated with it -- childcare, healthcare expenses, and saving for the child's education. Individuals may also be reviewing their insurance needs at this time and purchasing adequate coverage, including health insurance, life insurance, disability insurance, and homeowners' insurance. Lastly, they may be increasing their contributions to retirement accounts and aligning investment strategies with their long-term goals.

In Your 40s

If you're in your forties, you may be in the middle of doing a "midlife checkup" with your life goals: evaluating your career satisfaction or looking for a pivot, investing in preventative healthcare and lifestyle changes to maintain long-term health, or embarking on meaningful travel experiences while balancing family and career commitments.

Your forties could be a great time to do a financial checkup as well -- reviewing your investment portfolios, retirement plans, and overall financial health to ensure alignment with your long-term goals. You could increase the diversification of your portfolio across different asset classes to manage risk and enhance returns. Some individuals in their forties prioritize estate planning as one of their financial goals, while others consider supplemental income streams or passive income opportunities to diversify sources of income and provide financial security. If you have outstanding debt, you may have a goal to accelerate your debt repayment strategy to become debt-free before retirement and free up cash flow for other financial goals. Other goals for this life stage could include saving for higher education and planning for future healthcare expenses, such as long-term care insurance, Medicare, and health savings accounts (HSAs).

In Your 50s and Beyond

At this life stage, life goals might center around retirement readiness and crossing things off bucket lists, whether it's travel, hobbies, or personal goals. People in their fifties and beyond might focus on fine-tuning their retirement plans, assess their readiness to retire, and be considering lifestyle adjustments. They might also be engaging in volunteer work, mentoring, or giving back to the community in other meaningful ways.

A number of financial goals align with these life goals for people in this stage. If you're age 50 or older, you can take advantage of catch-up contributions to your retirement accounts to accelerate retirement savings. Additionally, you could adjust your investment strategies to preserve capital and generate income. Another goal you may consider is legacy planning -- reviewing estate plans, updating your beneficiaries, and considering charitable gifting or gifting strategies to minimize estate taxes and leave a legacy. The ultimate goal for many people in this stage is pursuing financial independence and lifestyle goals in retirement, whether it's traveling, pursuing hobbies, or spending time with their family and loved ones.

These life and financial goals provide a roadmap for individuals to navigate different life stages and prioritize their financial decisions accordingly. It's essential to regularly review and adjust your goals based on changing circumstances, economic conditions, and your personal aspirations. Seeking guidance from a financial advisor can help you develop personalized strategies to achieve your financial objectives.

What does a financial strategy that's aligned with life goals look like? Here are a few examples.

One strategy for an individual focused on retirement planning could be to allocate a significant portion of their investment portfolio to retirement accounts such as 401(k)s, IRAs, or pension plans. Investment vehicles to consider could include a diversified mix of traditional, alternative and private investments based on your risk tolerance and time horizon.

The strategy could include a dollar-cost averaging approach and regular contributions to help build wealth over time. As retirement approaches, you could gradually shift toward more conservative investments to preserve capital.

If you have a goal to start a family and have children, your strategy could be to invest in education savings accounts, life insurance, and custodial accounts for your children. When it comes to investment vehicles, you could open a 529 college savings plan on Coverdell Education Savings Account (ESA). Additionally, you could choose age-based investment options within these accounts, which automatically adjust asset allocation based on the age of the beneficiary.

The approach here might be to set specific savings goals for each child's education and future need and start investing early to benefit from compound growth. You could also consider tax-advantaged investment options to maximize savings potential.

If one of your life goals is to start your own business, your strategy could be to allocate funds toward building capital for the business venture. When it comes to investment vehicles, you could consider investing in yourself through education, training, or acquiring relevant skills for entrepreneurship. You could also invest in assets that generate passive income to support your endeavors.

Consider developing a business plan and seek guidance from mentors or advisors. Your approach could also include considering crowdfunding, peer-to-peer lending, or venture capital as alternative funding sources for your business.

The financial strategy for someone interested in philanthropy could be to build wealth through strategic investments to fund charitable giving and philanthropic initiatives. There are a variety of investment vehicles for charitable gifting, including impact investing, donor-advised funds (DAFs), or charitable remainder trusts.

For this goal, you might want to define your philanthropic mission and priorities so you can build a clear plan for your charitable giving. A financial advisor can help you integrate charitable giving into your overall financial plan.

Creating a financial plan focused on your life goals involves several steps to ensure that your finances align with your aspirations and objectives.

1. Identify Your Goals. Begin by clearly defining your life goals. These may include short-term goals like buying a house, medium-term goals like saving for your child's education, and long-term goals like retirement planning.
2. Quantify Your Goals. Assign a specific monetary value and timeframe to each goal. For example, if your goal is to have a specific amount in your 401(k) by the time you retire, you can calculate how much you need to save for retirement based on your desired lifestyle and retirement age.
3. Assess Your Current Financial Situation. Take stock of your current financial standing. Calculate your income, expenses, assets, and liabilities. This step will help you understand how much you can allocate toward your goals.
4. Emergency Fund. Set aside an emergency fund equivalent to 3-6 months of living expenses. This fund acts as a safety net during unexpected financial setbacks, such as medical emergencies.
5. Debt Management. Develop a strategy to manage and pay off any existing debts efficiently. Prioritize high-interest debts while making minimum payments on others.
6. Investment Strategy. Determine an investment strategy aligned with your goals, risk tolerance, and timeframe. Consider diversifying your investments across different asset classes such as traditional, alternative, and private investments to mitigate risk.
7. Retirement Planning. Start saving for retirement early and regularly contribute to retirement accounts such as 401(k)s, IRAs, or pension plans.
8. Insurance Coverage. Assess your insurance needs, including health insurance, life insurance, disability insurance, and property insurance. Ensure that you have adequate coverage to protect yourself and your loved ones from financial risks.
9. Regular Review and Adjustment. Regularly review you financial plan to track your progress toward your goals and make necessary adjustments based on changes in your life circumstances, financial markets, and economic conditions.

By following these steps and staying committed to your financial plan, you can work toward achieving your life goals while securing your financial future. Consider working with a financial advisor to develop a comprehensive plan, especially for complex financial matters.

Take a moment to reflect on your own life goals and how they aligns with your current financial plan. Perhaps there are adjustments you need to make based on your current life stage or goals you need to redefine or prioritize.

Remember, your financial plan is not set in stone. It's a dynamic tool that should evolve with you as your life circumstances change. Whether you're just starting your financial journey or seeking to realign your existing plan, the key is to take action.

Consider leveraging the expertise and resources of our team at Watersound Wealth Advisors to help you build a comprehensive wealth management plan. With over $4.8 billion assets under management (AUM) and experience with helping over 1,800 clients optimize their wealth, we'd welcome the opportunity to help you reach your financial goals. Contact us here to learn more and schedule your complimentary Portfolio X-Ray.