Financial Goal Setting In 2010
Whether you read this article in the beginning of the year or later in 2010 a great question to ask yourself is “What are my financial goals this year”?
There are so many products and strategies out there from annuities and life insurance to mutual funds and fee based planning. One could argue that one investment option is better than the next one but any solid financial advisor will quickly tell you that it depends on the situation. We are coached by our compliance departments to learn about our clients’ risk tolerance and time horizon before making investment advice. However, one of the main reasons I win clients is because of my ability to help my clients indentify and set their financial goals. This is based on the responses I get from my clients who interviewed other advisors before they chose to do business with me.
Stephen Covey says in The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People to “Begin with the end in mind”. I use this strategy in my financial planning practice. Together with my client, we drill down to paint the picture of how they want their retirement to look. Once they begin to feel excited about some of the things they will enjoy during retirement they can prepare to stay disciplined along the way. When you walk past the refrigerator on your way out the door to work and see those pictures of what your retirement future holds it is easier to work harder with greater hope and conviction that you will succeed.
I love working with clients who have a passion for where they are headed. People with a dream and a goal are easier to advise and respond with more enthusiasm to appointments and phone calls.
I encourage you to sit and think about what kind of retirement you want. Talk to your spouse and set realistic goals. Goals should be out of reach but not out of sight. Don’t be afraid to stretch yourself. We tell our kids that they can have and be anything they want in life. In most cases, this is still true of each of us as adults.
Read MoreRwanda Safaris
ITINERARY FOR CHIMPS IN NYUNGWE FOREST
(Tour Code RW 4) This safari starts and finishes in Kigali.
DAY 1: Arrival
Arrive at Kanombe (Kigali) airport. Meet and greet before transferring to Kigali City. City tour in Kigali (optional) including a visit to the genocide sites, the art and craft center. O/N: Hotel Chez Lando or Mille Collines Hotel (B-L-D).
DAY 2: To Nyungwe Forest
Start for Nyungwe Forest National Park. Along the way, make stops at places of interest including local markets, the traditional palace of Rwanda’s Former King in Nyanza. In Butare, visit the Botanical Gardens and a cultural museum. Drive past green fields of tea scattered across the hillsides and the small wooden houses unique to the areas surrounding Nyungwe Forest. [Approximate driving time: 5 hours] O/N: ORTPN Gisakura Guest House (FB)
DAY 3: Chimpanzee tracking in Nyungwe Forest
Go chimp tracking, the largest in Central Africa. O/N: ORTPN Gisakura Guest House (FB)
DAY 4: Nyungwe Forest
EITHER Go chimp tracking OR Guided nature walk in the forest to see a variety of animals and some of the three hundred bird species found here, which include the Rwenzori turaco and black and white casqued hornbill. Go on an escorted walk in search of large groups of colobus monkeys – sometimes as many as 400 in a group. Picnic lunch. Return late afternoon.
O/N: ORTPN Gisakura Guest House (FB)
DAY 5: Return and departure
Return to Kigali. Fly out if you have any onward flight. [Approximate driving time: 4 hours]
Tour Ends.