- Financial planning gives you clarity so you can see how your money supports what matters today and what you’re building for tomorrow.
- It builds confidence by showing you options side by side, testing the “what ifs,” and helping you live your life without second-guessing every financial decision.
- It creates steadiness through a process that adjusts as life shifts, ensuring your plan remains effective no matter what comes your way.
What Financial Planning Is and Isn’t
A lot of people hear the words financial planning and immediately think, “Oh, that’s about picking investments.”
Sure, investments are part of it. Every financial planner, myself included, does some form of investment consulting. That’s like the engine of the car. And the engine makes things run.
But a car is a lot more than an engine. You also need a frame, a steering wheel, brakes, a seat belt, and many other things. That’s what the rest of financial planning does, helping you navigate your life, protect yourself along the way, and get to where you want to go.
At Lanning Financial, I call this advanced planning. It means going deeper than returns and portfolios to cover things like:
- Wealth enhancement: keeping and growing more of what you have.
- Wealth preservation: protecting what you’ve built.
- Wealth transfer: passing resources on, whether during your lifetime or later.
- Charitable giving: aligning your money with causes you care about.
What financial planning isn’t is just as important to say out loud.
It isn’t about chasing hot stocks or trying to guess the next market move. It isn’t running a quick software simulation and calling that a plan. And it certainly isn’t about comparing your returns to a benchmark that doesn’t reflect your life.
At its best, financial planning is a framework that makes your decisions clearer and your path forward more grounded. That way, you can stop wondering if you’re doing it right and start living with more confidence.
The Deep-Dive Process (How I Build Your Plan)
Most people don’t know what goes into building a financial plan. They imagine a couple of meetings, a big spreadsheet, and maybe a thick binder at the end.
But the truth is, the process is much more personal and much more powerful than that. I want to demystify it because this is where the real work happens.
Step 1: The Conversations
We do a series of deep-dive conversations that reveal what matters most to you.
I ask questions you’ve probably never been asked before, such as:
- If money walked into the room, what would you say to it?
- What did you learn about money from your family?
- Before you die, what must you do?
I’ve had couples tell me those questions revealed things they’d never even told each other. Having a third party in the room allows both partners to speak freely and be heard. That’s where I begin to see who you are and what kind of life you want your money to support.
Step 2: The Data
While we’re talking, you’re also uploading the practical pieces, such as your accounts, estate documents, insurance, and income sources.
It may not be glamorous, but it’s essential. If the data isn’t accurate, the plan won’t be either. I like to confirm every number in what I call a “data meeting,” so we know we’re working with the right foundation.
Step 3: Bringing It Together
This is where the conversations and the numbers meet. Using my planning software, I build scenarios that connect your goals to your resources.
- Do you remodel the house with cash or borrow against your home equity?
- Can you send the kids to private school and still retire comfortably?
- What happens if inflation runs higher or if someone needs long-term care?
A couple, for example, may want to know if they could spend $300,000 remodeling their house and still support a private high school for both kids. By toggling the options in real time, I can show them exactly how those choices would ripple out across the decades without jeopardizing their long-term security.
Step 4: Stress Testing
Life isn’t static, and neither is your financial plan. That’s why I run “what if” scenarios, such as what if your income changes, what if markets drop 20%, or what if you live longer than you expect?
By seeing how your plan holds up under stress, you can make confident decisions today. The goal isn’t to predict the future, but to prepare for it, whatever it looks like.
Step 5: Ongoing Adjustments
Finally, we meet regularly (at least once a year) to update your plan, and we revisit it any time life throws a curveball. A new job, an unexpected expense, or stepping in to support aging parents are all moments when your plan needs to shift with you. I call these mid-flight corrections because life never moves in a straight line.
How I Invest for Clients
Investing is one part of the larger planning picture, but it’s often the part people are most curious about. The truth is that the average investor underperforms the market, which is why you need professional help.
I build portfolios that reflect your goals, timeline, and risk tolerance. Then I make sure those investments are positioned in a way that supports the rest of your financial plan.
I start with what I call the core. This is a base of high-quality stocks and bonds, chosen with the expectation that we’ll hold them for the long term.
Around that core, I may add a smaller tactical piece that can adjust when markets are more volatile, offering some cushion on the downside and some opportunity on the upside. And in certain situations, I’ll layer in investments that don’t behave like stocks or bonds at all but can add stability and diversification.
Where we place these investments also matters. A strategy that trades often may create a tax headache in a taxable account, but in a retirement account, it can run quietly without consequences until you withdraw. Paying attention to those details is one of the ways I add value for my clients.
And I’ll be honest, you are going to lose money at times. Markets go down. A five percent drop happens a few times a year, a ten percent drop happens most years, and every few years we see something closer to twenty percent.
None of that means the plan is broken. My job is to make sure your portfolio is built with those realities in mind, so you don’t have to panic every time the market dips.
At the end of the day, your plan is the benchmark. If your investments are doing the job they need to do for you, like funding college, making retirement possible, and supporting the life you want, then they’re successful.
The Value of Planning Is Confidence, Not Just Returns
When people ask me about returns, I always pause because there isn’t a single answer. Some portfolios are built for steady growth with very little risk, while others can afford more volatility.
What matters isn’t whether you beat the S&P, but whether your money is funding the life you want without keeping you up at night.
The same is true of fees. Mine are published, consistent, and right there on your statements. They may adjust if your situation is unusually complex or simple, but they’re always transparent.
And here’s my philosophy: fees only matter in the absence of value. If I’m not delivering the value you expect, you should fire me. On the other hand, if we’re saving you money in taxes, keeping you out of financial potholes, and giving you clarity, the fees more than pay for themselves.
But the real value of financial planning isn’t found in percentages or line items. It’s in confidence. It’s in the couple who finally bought a car after years of hesitation, or the parents who could say yes to private school without jeopardizing retirement. These are the moments where planning gives you permission to live your life, knowing you’ll still be okay.
That’s the return I care about most.
At the End of the Day, It’s About Living Your Life
Financial planning isn’t about beating markets or filling binders. It’s about confidence and knowing you can say yes to the remodel, yes to helping your parents, yes to the car, or yes to the travel without second-guessing whether you’ll still be okay.
That’s what planning should feel like. Calm. Clear. Personal. A framework that helps you make good choices today and keeps you steady through whatever tomorrow looks like.
If that’s the kind of planning you’re looking for, I invite you to take the first step. Fill out my short questionnaire and let’s see if we’re a good fit for one another. No pressure, just an honest overview about where you are, what you want, and whether I’m the right person to help you get there.
