🟣🟢 Pensions, ISAs, Investments...

Happy weekend…👋

My youngest daughter was my gym buddy until she went travelling in Australia at the beginning of February.

We had a good routine going, and when she left, I’ll be honest, it threw me off. For a couple of weeks, I found myself skipping sessions or overcomplicating things, trying to find the ‘perfect’ workout plan instead of just getting on with it.

But then I realised I didn’t need perfection, I needed consistency.

🏋️‍♂️ So I stripped it back: five-minute warm-up, 25-minute workout, five-minute stretch. Upper body one day, lower body the next, then cardio and abs.

Simple, clear, and something I could actually stick to. It made me realise how often we overcomplicate things, especially when it comes to money.

Just like I was faffing around trying to create the perfect workout routine instead of just getting started, I see business owners doing the same with their finances.

When people first start talking to me - especially in a discovery call - they often begin by telling me about the plans and products they already have. Pensions, ISAs, investments, properties... it’s a list of things, but not necessarily a plan.

They’re focused on the details before stepping back to see the bigger picture.

And quite often, the first question they ask is the wrong one.

I get it, of course. When you’ve spent years building a business and accumulating wealth, it’s natural to ask things like, “Where should I invest to get the best returns?” or “How do I keep my money safe?”

But jumping straight into these questions can make investing feel unnecessarily complicated and a lot more stressful than it needs to be.

Instead, there’s a much better starting point: What’s the money for?

It’s such a simple question, but it’s also the foundation for everything that follows.

Without it, financial planning can feel like a never-ending maze of choices and second-guessing.

With it, things start to make a lot more sense.

The trouble with investing without a proper, thought through goal

I don’t know about you, but before online grocery shopping, I would too often find myself coming out of the supermarket, completely unsure of what I was actually making for dinner.

I’d picked up a few nice ingredients, things that caught my eye, but I didn’t know exactly what I was cooking, I was missing key essentials and probably wasting money on things I didn’t need.

Investing without a clear goal feels exactly the same.

You might collect various investments, properties, pensions but without knowing what you're actually aiming for, how do you know if you have the right mix?

How do you know if you’re on track or just filling up the financial equivalent of a random shopping trolley?

If you don’t know where you’re going, how do you know which route to take? You might end up wandering aimlessly, taking detours, or just feeling lost.

That’s what can happen when people invest without a clear strategy or purpose in mind. They can find themselves making decisions based on headlines, emotions, or what a friend said over coffee.

If you’re planning to sell your business in 10 years and retire, does it really matter what interest rates did last Tuesday? Probably not.

But if you need the money for a house deposit next year, you don’t want to take on risks that could derail your plans.

Knowing why you’re investing keeps you focused, stops you from making knee-jerk decisions, and ultimately makes financial planning far less stressful.

Skipping this step is what leads to panic selling when markets drop or jumping on trends that don’t actually align with your long-term needs.

The result? Missed opportunities, unnecessary worry, and an investment strategy that feels like guesswork.

Investing With Purpose

When you start with the question, “What’s the money for?”, everything becomes clearer.

You set goals, understand your time frames, and make decisions that serve a purpose rather than just chasing returns for the sake of it.

This approach doesn’t just help with decision-making, it also makes it much easier to stick to your plan when things get tough.

When markets wobble (and they always do at some point, see the image below 👇 ), you’ll have the confidence to stay on course because you know why your money is invested the way it is.

You won’t be tempted to pull everything out at the wrong time or jump into something new just because it’s making headlines.

Getting Clear on Your Financial Journey

The reality is, investing isn’t about finding some magical “perfect” strategy.

It’s about using your money as a tool to create the future you want. Whether that’s financial security in retirement, supporting family, or funding experiences that matter to you.

If you’re not sure where to start, whether it's extracting wealth from your business tax-efficiently, planning for an eventual sale, or ensuring your personal finances are in order that’s where good financial planning comes in.

The role of a financial planner isn’t to push investments or dazzle you with jargon - it’s to help you figure out what you actually want from your money and put a plan in place to get there.

No gimmicks, no unnecessary complexity, just a clear, structured way to turn your financial goals into reality.

So, before you worry about what the markets are doing, take a step back and ask yourself: What’s the money for?

Everything else flows from there.

😎 THAT’S IT FOR THIS WEEK!

If you need any help with your financial stuff, would like to know more about our services, or have any questions at all, do ping me a reply.

Hilary 😎

P.S Whenever you’re ready maybe I can help: Book a Discovery call and find out if we can help you

If you know someone who would appreciate this newsletter, send them this link» https://financial-stuff-by-hilary.beehiiv.com/subscribe

Check out my Youtube channel for short videos that you might enjoy and find useful! Subscribe for regular updates! Or send me a question you’d like me to answer for you!