Can you imagine building a house without a foundation? If you built your house without a foundation, how well would it hold up under adverse weather conditions? Not very well would it? How well does your financial plan hold up in the event of adverse conditions such as premature death, unforeseen sickness or injury, lawsuits, stock market fluctuations, interest rate risk, taxes and inflation?

This is exactly why I named my business Protection, Savings & Growth Consulting. You must build the foundation first, Protection. Once you have a sound foundation then it's time to focus on Savings. The detriment to most people's financial plans is their inability to spend less than they earn. By creating a cash flow management system I am able to teach people how to systematically save in a way that's fun and rewarding for today and the future. Once your foundation is built and your ability to save without creating debt is strong, then we talk about Growth. The best part of our system is that it serves everyone. Whether your net worth is $100 or $ 1,000,000, whether you are an employee or an employer, I am confident that together we will co-create a plan that serves you and the people that you love.

Have you ever asked yourself the following questions?

• When do the taxes get paid from my 401(k) or IRA?

• Will I be in a higher tax bracket or a lower tax bracket when I retire?

• Should I have a 15-year mortgage or a 30-year mortgage?

• Under how many different circumstances does your plan succeed? Must everything come together just right?

• If you're not asking yourself these questions, you should be. In my opinion this is the value a financial planner should be bringing to you.