What are your alternatives to LEAP? Your financial life may well be managed by one of the four alternatives listed below. Let’s look at each one of the alternatives and see if they are what you really want and need.

Alternative #1 – No Planning

By doing no planning at all, it may lead to financial difficulties and even financial disarray. To do no planning may cause people to lose control over their financial lives and become vulnerable to the events and circumstances that surround them. The no planning alternative usually produces very little chance of having financial independence at any point in one’s life.

Alternative #2 – Occasional Planning

Occasional planning tends to result in putting things off and to always be one or two steps behind, never quite having enough money or having it in the right place. Do you feel this way? People who do occasional planning are usually part of a “do-it-yourself” mindset that tends not to seek professional financial advice. Occasional planning may produce a financial life filled with inefficiency and lost opportunity costs.

Alternative #3 – Single Need Planning

Many people wait until they are forced to make financial decisions. Single need planning focuses on planning for only one financial need at a time. Usually, this planning does not take place until after the need appears and becomes obvious. Single need planning tends to be maintenance based just to cover the need. Psychologists have written that human needs can never truly be satisfied, for once a need is met, a new need takes its place. Therefore, single need planning may lead to ongoing frustration and disappointment.

Alternative #4 – Financial Planning

Financial planning is a process that is heavily mathematical and requires a significant amount of number crunching. Financial planning focuses on establishing several needs and goals and plotting a course of action to satisfy them. Financial planning typically uses fixed assumptions for taxes, rates-of-return, inflation, time, and other variables as determinants for the outcome of the plan. Since the world in which we live is changing, the fixed assumptions are difficult to predict and need constant updating and review.

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The content within this section is for educational purposes only and should not be construed as investment advice. It is important to note that the implementation of any strategies provided as a part of LEAP are designed to aid one in reaching their financial objectives, but no assurance can be made that these objectives will in fact be reached. Individual results may vary.