I remember growing up that one of my favorite things to do was help my Grandma put together puzzles. We'd always dump the pieces out on the table. Then we would sort out the edge pieces. We would put all of the inside pieces back in the box. Then we'd prop the box lid up so we could look at the picture and we'd go to work putting it together.
When I think about it, it's a lot like what I do when I meet a client and start the financial planning process. First we get all the pieces out so we can see what we're working with. Then, we make sure that the framework or foundation pieces are all there. These pieces are the most important and should be looked at first. Once we are finished with the foundation, we can go to work filling in the picture. Think about it for a minute though. How much harder would it be without the box lid? First we have no idea what the finished picture looks like. Secondly, we can't even count the pieces to make sure they are all there. The box tells us how many pieces there are supposed to be. We may find a couple random pieces that fit together. Once that happens, we focus on that part of the "puzzle" and ignore the rest.
That is why I use a Priority Planning Review. It helps me see what is most important to my client and what the first step needs to be. "Financial planning is a process, not an event and is never finished"
