First Visit Checklist
What to Expect in Our Meeting
First, Let’s Get Organized
Want to know what to expect before your first meeting? Explore our six step checklist to see what to gather, what to bring, and how to prepare so you can walk into your first conversation feeling ready.
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Make a list of questions you would like answers to. You can talk about the areas of your finances that worry you the most, or how to help protect yourself from various risks, such as market volatility or loss of income. You can also work with us to run numbers for different scenarios that you’re considering, such as moving to a less-expensive area or shifting to part-time work before retiring completely. This is your opportunity to find out about the feasibility of all of the things you’ve been thinking about for your finances and your life goals.
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Provide copies of your financial statements—including those from your banks, brokerage firms and retirement account custodians—and your tax documents.
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Be prepared to talk about your income, regular expenses and monthly cash flow.
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Provide a summary of your debt—including your mortgage, credit cards, student loans, car loans and other debt—and the interest rates and terms on the loans.
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Provide your insurance and estate-planning documents. Prepare to talk about your financial risks and how they are or aren’t currently covered.
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Start thinking about your short-term and long-term goals. Do you want to buy a house in the next few years? Are you saving for your kids’ college? When would you like to retire? Your CFP® professional can help you prioritize your financial goals.
We want to make the most of our time together. You may not have every financial detail documented when we first meet, and that’s okay. As Certified Financial Planners®, we’re here to start making an impact from our very first conversation.
From creating a plan for today to mapping out the details for tomorrow, we’re here to help you navigate what’s ahead. We’ll be open and honest with you, explain things in simple terms rather than industry jargon, and provide thoughtful advice at every stage.