Financial Planning FAQ
What is financial planning?
Financial Planning is about you and your money. Think of financial planning like a personal trainer – helping you get financially fit. Financial planning is about helping you make the most of your money and ensuring you are in the best financial shape possible, so that you can achieve your goals.
What is a financial plan and what does it look like?
Our financial planning service is designed to cover all of your financial needs. We provide what a comprehensive Financial Plan that covers your complete financial situation and highlights the essential steps required to achieve your goals. You can take a look at an example Financial Plan to see exactly what is covered. For more details of what is covered the different planning services we offer and our charges, please see Financial Planning Charges.
What is actually covered in a financial plan?
Every financial plan is unique and created around your needs. Typically, we focus on your most pressing and important needs first. In terms of the scope of what is covered, we have developed a unique financial planning process that covers a number of key areas.:
- Goal Planning
- Financial Forecasting
- Disaster planning
- Financial Organisation & Budgeting
- Emergency Fund
- Financial Protection
- Tax Planning
- Saving & Investment Planning
- Property Planning
- Retirement Planning
- Debt Management
- Older Age & Estate Planning
- Family Financial Planning
Why do I need a financial plan?
People with a plan are much more likely to achieve their objectives. This is because it helps people focus on the tasks required to achieve the objective and to identify the obstacles that need to be overcome. Your finances determine a lot of your choices in life, so achieving your financial goals is clearly very important.
If I become a NorthStar client, can I contact you whenever I want?
Of course you can. We are here to help you and we are always on hand. Depending on what you might need help with there may be additional charges. We are passionate about making the charges for our services clear, so you will always know what any charges will be in advance.
How often will you review my financial plan?
This will depend on the level of service you have selected. Most of our clients want their financial plan reviewed every one or two years.
Am I tied into a long-term contract for you financial planning services?
No you are not. You can leave at any time. We hope that you won’t want to leave. Financial Planning is an ongoing service that is built around you and changes as you change throughout the course of your life. We really hope we can demonstrate the ongoing value of having this service so that you will not want to leave.
How much will I pay for ongoing financial planning?
Our financial planning service is available from as little as £1,200 upfront plus £65 per month. Find out more about our financial planning fees.
I'm not sure what I want to achieve in life - can you help me clarify this?
Yes we can. A lot of our clients initially find it difficult to articulate what they want to achieve. We can help you crystallise exactly what your goals are.
How will you help me achieve my life goals?
We will meet so that we can get to know each other. We will help you to identify your life goals. These almost inevitably have a financial aspect to them. We will then put in place a detailed financial plan to show how these goals could be achieved.
Can you answer another question that isn't listed here?
Certainly. First, you might want to check out the other FAQ pages to see if your question has been answered already. If not, please contact us or use the ‘live chat’ at the bottom right of every page. We’d love to answer any questions you have about NorthStar and how we can help you achieve your financial goals.
Have more questions? See our other FAQ pages:
Awards, Accreditations & Trade Associations
NorthStar is proud to be a member of the leading financial planning trade associations. Through a continued commitment to adhere to the highest professional standards and deliver exceptional service, NorthStar has received a number of awards and professional accreditations.