“What’s most important to you?”
This is Serban Maracine’s first prompt for his clients when discussing how to establish their financial fitness and future. A Financial Advisor and Limited Partner at Edward Jones in Boulder, Maracine specializes in helping his clients and their families plan for their retirement and all that comes with it; from consistent income to preparing for the unexpected and everything in between.
Here are his tips on how to establish a financial plan for now and into your later years that is resilient and adaptable to all the arcs, ebbs and flows of life.
1. Ask a financial professional for help. Diagnosing proper financial disciplines early on is hugely important to avoiding pitfalls and protecting your quality of life today and in the future. A professional can truly partner with you to create an established process for developing the strategies to achieve your financial goals.
2. Have an established, documented plan. Relying on idealistic goals isn’t solid enough, and you need a plan that’s stress-tested and can be adjusted according to your major life events. Be inspired to dream big—then support those goals for you and your loved ones with your strategic plan.
3. Pursue a quality-based approach to long-term investing. The time-tested principles of long-term investing are staples for a reason. Don’t give in to fad investments or the temptation to time the market. Instead, focus on patience and the fundamentals of serious long-term investing.
“I thrive on helping clients and their families accomplish their financial goals, which leads to a real sense of reward for everyone,” says Maracine. “Financial fitness is about taking care of what’s most important today, tomorrow and for the rest of our lives not just for ourselves, but for those we love and care about too.”