What is Holistic Financial Planning?

At its heart, holistic financial planning is about more than just numbers. It’s about people, their hopes, responsibilities, challenges, and the vision they hold for their lives. That’s why our planning process begins with a thorough understanding of you- your financial situation, values, and priorities- and not just your spreadsheets. Let's dive in.

1. Understanding the Full Picture

Before any recommendations are made, we begin by listening. We want to understand both the qualitative and quantitative sides of your financial life and to have the full picture.

Qualitative Factors

These are the human elements that influence your decisions and shape your financial story:

• Health and life expectancy – How does your health impact your long-term planning?

• Family and caregiving dynamics – Are you supporting others, or anticipating future caregiving responsibilities?

• Core values and financial attitudes – What’s your relationship with money like? What matters most to you? Are there causes or organizations you would like to support?

• Career trajectory – Where are you now, and where do you hope to go? Would you like to prioritize retiring early, moving to part-time work hours, or changing careers to a field that would be more meaningful to you?

• Risk tolerance and capacity – How much uncertainty feels manageable to you?

• Expectations and future outlook – What are your hopes, fears, and assumptions about your future?

Quantitative Factors

We also take a thorough look at the numbers that shape your financial foundation:

• Age and household demographics

• Income, expenses, and overall cash flow

• Assets, liquidity, liabilities, and net worth

• Savings rates and investment account system

• Tax situation

• Insurance coverage and employee/government benefits

• Estate planning documents (wills, powers of attorney, etc.)

• Education and retirement benefits

• Any other professional advisors you currently work with (e.g., CPA, attorney, insurance broker)

By weaving these two threads together, we gain a full and accurate picture of your financial life.

2. Identifying Goals and Clarifying Priorities

Once we understand where you’re starting from, we shift focus to where you want to go.

We work together to:

• Clarify your short-, mid- and long-term goals

• Name important milestones and life transitions along the way

• Identify any unique circumstances, such as divorce, grief, or caregiving, that will shape your planning priorities

• Assess your current course of action and trajectory – What’s working? What’s not?

This process is not just about listing goals, but about naming what truly matters to you. It is through this thought process that we can best align your financial life with your core values.

3. Analyzing and Making Recommendations

With your full picture and your priorities in view, we analyze your current course of action and explore potential alternatives.

We’ll then craft financial planning recommendations tailored to your specific situation. These recommendations are always aligned with your values, preferences, and pace. You'll receive clear, actionable guidance in key areas like:

• Cash flow and budgeting

• Retirement savings and investment strategy

• Tax efficiency

• Risk management and insurance

• Estate planning and legacy goals

We’ll meet to walk through the recommendations, answer questions, and co-create a plan for what happens next.

4. Implementing the Plan Together

Even the best plan only works if it’s put into action. That’s why we take care to clarify implementation responsibilities from the start:

• What the client will take the lead on

• What the financial planner will support or coordinate

• What might be referred to other trusted professionals (e.g., CPA, attorney, insurance broker)

Our role is to help reduce overwhelm, provide support where needed, and make sure you have the tools and clarity to move forward confidently.

5. Monitoring Progress and Updating Along the Way

Planning isn’t a one-time event—it’s an ongoing conversation.

We typically recommend quarterly or semi-annual review meetings to check in on your progress, revisit your goals, and adjust as needed. This rhythm helps ensure your plan continues to reflect your evolving life, values, and needs.

Here’s a visual look at what this holistic process looks like in practice:

Source: CFP Board

A Collaborative, Grounded Approach to Planning

In a world that often pushes quick fixes and one-size-fits-all advice, the holistic planning approach is deliberately different. We believe that meaningful financial planning is about slowing down, asking the right questions, and building a plan rooted in what matters most to you.

With clarity, care, and collaboration, we help you move from uncertainty and financial anxiety to confidence, one step at a time.

The CFP® Board, the non-profit that sets and upholds CFP® certification standards, maintains a holistic financial planning process standard to ensure due diligence and optimal value are provided to all clients. The above list is based on their recommended step-by-step planning process and best practices.

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Have questions? Drop a comment on this post.

Need help building or updating your financial plan? Get in touch.

📌 Sage Financial Planning LLC is a California RIA providing values-aligned financial planning and financial advice in San Diego, CA and nationwide via virtual platforms. Sage Financial specializes in serving First Generation Wealth Builders who want to change their financial family trees for the better, as well as values-based clients who want to not only achieve financial security and freedom for themselves, but who want to support their communities in meaningful ways and leave the world better than they found it.

For more information on our holistic financial planning offerings, please visit our Service Options page.

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