The One-Page Financial Planning is a refreshing, fun look at personal finance books that dispels the feeling that financial planning is a burden for the less disciplined people. This book teaches us how to plan our perfect financial future on a single page and what we should do about it to achieve financial freedom.
The author’s writing style is informal; With anecdotes and humor, read it from cover to cover on a spare holiday weekend or enjoy it on the go. The appeal of the book is the promise of turning something complex and oftentimes cumbersome into a simple one-page plan. After all, to create a good habit the steps should be so easy there is simply no excuse not to do it. The author goes a long way in delivering on this implied promise.
About the Author
Carl Richards is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ and the director of investor education for the BAM ALLIANCE, a community of over 130 independent wealth management firms throughout the United States. He is the creator of the weekly Sketch Guy column in The New York Times and is a columnist for Morningstar Advisor. Carl has also been featured on Marketplace Money, The Leonard Lopate Show, Oprah.com, and Forbes.com. In addition, Carl has become a frequent keynote speaker at financial planning conferences and visual learning events around the world.
The author debunks a few rules of thumb, through the observation of behavioral finance. For example, He questions the rule of thumb is that “Buying your home is always better than renting.” He addresses the truth that financial planning is not only about money. A true financial plan will take into account all your resources including available time, skills, and energy. Here are 3 lessons to help you get your finances on track –
Make a solid plan, but leave some room for unexpected surprises.
Turn budgeting into a game
An investment in your future self.
In conclusion, I enthusiastically recommend adding this book to your reading list. Consumers could use the book to vet possible financial planners they are interviewing to work with in the future. There would also be great mileage for the financial planner who recommends their clients read the book in preparation for the work you will do together with your client.
