What Is Your Financial Summit?
![Financially Independent Retirement Depicted as Man on Mountain Summit](/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/FinancialRetirementPlanning.jpg")
Reaching the summit of Mount Everest is often considered the ultimate achievement for mountaineers. Because of such an expedition’s cost and lengthy duration, it is usually a once in a lifetime experience. Approximately 800 people attempt the two-month trek to the summit every year. On average, 480 or so succeed and 8 die in the attempt.
Everybody dreams of reaching their financial Summit, their idea of a peak retirement where they can do more than just make ends meet until they die.
But will you reach that point?
Thinking about the attempts to reach Everest’s summit, what made the difference between those who made it and those who didn’t? Recent studies of climbs indicate that the individual climber’s skill and previous experience don’t actually matter as much as was first thought. Better weather forecasting (technology), choice of routes (research), increased experience of expedition leaders, porters, better known as Sherpas, were also all drivers for success.
In your financial ascent, the guidance of a Financial Advisor is as important as advice from a Sherpa.
Depending on your circumstances, the journey to reaching financial peace can be a long, hard climb and very often the most difficult parts are near the top. Wouldn’t you like to know if you are financially equipped to reach the peak? And if not, wouldn’t you be happier knowing now that it will be safer to aim for a place near the top, but not quite as high as you had hoped or imagined?
Financial freedom, whatever that means for you, is more than an investment portfolio.
An investment portfolio is part of the retirement, much like an ice axe is a necessary part of mountain climbing gear. But it isn’t the total package by itself. Financial freedom involves a dynamic mix of cash flow management, tax planning and estate preservation that drive investment positioning decisions.
At Summit, we work with our clients to create an honest assessment of what they have and where that can take them.
As life happens, our financial advisors model various “what if” scenarios and work with you to choose the proper adjustments to return safely to the same, or similar, path. Wouldn’t you want a Sherpa who can adapt the climb strategy to account for sudden weather changes and not one who panics at the first unexpected breeze?
The financial industry has become extremely complex, and everybody needs some level of financial guidance. The danger of a solo Everest climb is obvious and calamity can strike suddenly; the risks of a solo attempt at your financial summit are hidden and can take years before they are realized.
A common misconception about financial advisors is that, like Sherpas, they are only for the ultra-rich. This is not so.
While some advisors only want clients with a substantial amount of wealth already, Summit provides help for people of all financial backgrounds and literacy. From those just starting their ascent and pondering the path they should take, to people already in retirement in dire need of help weathering an unexpected storm, Summit will work to help you get back on path.
