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Diary of a Life Planner: Dreams can come true
by Chris Mellor on Nov 22, 2012 at 09:54
‘Happiness lies in the joy of achievement and the thrill of created effort’
Franklin D Roosevelt, 1882-1945
A couple of months ago, I met couple Bob and Jenny. He was aged 60 and she 55. Bob had recently taken early retirement from a career that involved him travelling the world and the couple spent much of his working life apart.
I asked Bob what he wanted to do with his retirement. He said: ‘I would like to sail my boat around the world for about 18 months.’
Jenny sat bolt upright in her chair, crossed her arms firmly in front of her and said: ‘Well I don’t!’
She said she loved horses and riding, and for many years had dreamt of riding in great cities around the world.
After she had spoken with great passion about her dream, I asked them both what it would be like if they could live their respective dreams and share them with each other. They looked at me incredulously.
Creating a dream come true
Although Jenny had no intention of boarding Bob’s boat, she totally supported his wish to go sailing around the world.
I painted a picture of Bob sailing his boat for about four weeks at a time, travelling from port to port, and when he arrived Jenny would be waiting for him. They would spend a couple of weeks together and then he would set sail again.
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8 comments so far. Why not have your say?
l'ifa passeport en provenance de France
Nov 22, 2012 at 10:31
Wow !! how cool !
report thisNigel Barker-Smith
Nov 26, 2012 at 09:32
Great stuff Chris, who wants to be bored with a chat about pensions and investments when you can enable great outcomes like this.
Life's too short!
report thisNicholas Lee
Nov 26, 2012 at 09:43
Love the way you took the difficult moment, "Well I don't!" and transformed it into a completely new way for Bob and Jenny to look at their lives.
This is life planning... life first and the money second, always...
report thisKeith Hartland
Nov 26, 2012 at 09:48
The best client conversations are about strengths, objectives and concerns as this sort of planning really gets into the bottom drawer of a client’s psyche. This just demonstrates the value that good planners add to clients, well done Chris.
report thisRajesh Modha
Nov 26, 2012 at 10:53
Looks like your clients' continue to receive great planning advice and service Chris.
Again and again the value of taking the time to understand client aspirations are repaid by delivering a service that is not based on money but supported by a clients' wealth.
Keep up the good work bud.
report thisTina Weeks
Nov 27, 2012 at 12:07
Great story Chris.
I just love it when a solution can be found that simply changes everything for clients. The beauty of life planning is that even where we, the planners, don't have the solution, where a vision is strong and clear and the clients want it more than anything, clients find their own solutions.
Great work.
report thisPeter Maxwell-Lyte
Nov 29, 2012 at 07:37
This is a really useful story to hear as it encapsulates clearly why Life Planning deepens relationships and truly adds an extra dimension to "The Proposition"
Well done Chris.
report thisAlan Moran
Jan 08, 2013 at 18:27
Chris you are something special - Bob and Jenny know it too!
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