Preparing for your first financial planning conversation

People postpone financial conversations because they believe they need to arrive organised. The opposite is true: the first conversation is where the organising starts.

Bring what you already have — statements, a rough sense of balances, a rough sense of income. Rough is fine. Nobody needs bank logins, and you should never share them with anyone.

Before the meeting, answer two questions for yourself. What would you like to be different in two years? And what has stopped you from changing it so far? Those answers shape the whole conversation.

Then treat the session as a working meeting rather than an exam. A good coach asks questions, explains the reasoning, and leaves you able to repeat the plan in your own words.