Most professional advice and counsel in the financial industry is delivered tactically, not strategically. Just as a prescription is designed to treat specific medical symptoms, each financial tactic or strategy is designed to manage specific risks or opportunities. But the same prescription, tactic or strategy also may produce unintended side effects. In the medical field, these are called “counter indications.” In the financial world, we call it confusion, poor planning and costly mistakes.

Having a vague but real sense of this looming risk, we’re left with confusion, uncertainty and even misdirection. Like a maze, you’re not sure where to turn.

If we hope to make a bigger and better impact with our wealth, we need both clarity and confidence that we’re making sound financial decisions. We need to understand the complete picture – advantages, disadvantages, and how each decision operates in connection with the other pieces of the plan.

Suddenly, that complex maze becomes amazingly easy to navigate, ultimately leading to our desired destination. This is the power of comprehensive and integrated planning.