Reclaim Your Financial Power: A Guide to Values-Aligned Planning
- Y. Elaine Rasmussen
- Oct 4
- 2 min read
Updated: 6 days ago
Understanding Values-Aligned Planning
Values-aligned planning is a financial strategy that connects your financial goals with your core beliefs and values. It encourages you to think about what you want to achieve in life beyond just monetary success.
For example, if you value sustainability, you might choose to invest in environmentally-focused companies or support local businesses. If family is your priority, you may want to allocate funds for your children's education or family vacations.
By identifying your values, you can create a financial plan that resonates with who you are. This alignment can lead to greater satisfaction and motivation as you move through your wealth journey and work towards your financial goals.
Identifying Your Core Values
The first step in values-aligned planning is to identify your core values. Here are some questions to help you reflect on what matters most to you:
What brings you joy and fulfillment?
What causes are you passionate about?
How do you want to be remembered?
What principles guide your decisions?
Take some time to write down your answers. This exercise will help you clarify your values and serve as a foundation for your financial planning.
Setting Financial Goals That Reflect Your Values
Once you have identified your core values, the next step is to set financial goals that align with them. Here are some tips to help you create meaningful financial goals:
Be Specific: Instead of saying, "I want to save money," specify how much you want to save and for what purpose. For example, "I want to save $10,000 for a family vacation in two years."
Make It Measurable: Ensure your goals are measurable so you can track your progress. This could mean setting monthly savings targets or investment benchmarks.
Set a Timeline: Establish a timeline for achieving your goals. This will help you stay focused and motivated.
Prioritize: Not all goals are created equal. Determine which goals are most important to you and focus on those first. I like to think about goals chronologically in five-year increments. Five years is an objective and attainable way to think about goals. For example, if you're thinking about your career, you might think I'm 35 now, where do I want to be when I'm 40; what do I want my life to look like? I find this more useful than asking yourself where I want to be in 5 or 10 years. Connecting my perspective on my goals based on what age I, my kids, or my parents will be gives me a clearer picture of what they or I might need at that age. What your kids need at 5 is very different than what they need at 10. Can you tell I'm passionate about this?
By setting financial goals that reflect your values and time horizon, you create a roadmap for your wealth journey that is both meaningful and motivating.
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