Review financial plans regularly

Assess if goals are on track and make corrections, if necessary

In order to keep fit and healthy doctors recommend annual health check-ups. In many companies, it is mandatory for senior level employees. Some others have tie-ups with hospitals where employees can get these check-ups at a discount. And after a check-up if you are diagnosed with some illness, the doctor will recommend a change in diet or lifestyle or a course of medication. After all, good health is important.

Similarly, it is equally important to conduct a regular check-up of your financial plan. Financial plans are an important aspect of managing one's money and trying to achieve one's financial goals. The plan should be reviewed on an annual or bi-annual basis.

The financial plan must be based on the current standard of living and should also consider the assets and liabilities one has. A yearly review and (if required) a change of financial plan is essential to asses the progress made towards achieving the financial goals.

If the plan seems to have gone off course, one should take the necessary corrections to bring it back on track, by changing the asset allocation.

Here is a list of things one should keep in mind while reviewing the financial plan:

Income and expenses: It is very important to understand and monitor one's cash flows, that is, from where the cash comes in and where it gets expended to. With regards to income one should also be sure of how long that particular income stream will last. Prepare a budget based on past financials and predict the probable future income.

It is also very important to factor in inflation as part of the financial plan. If your income exceeds your expenses on a consistent basis; it could be a sign that the financial plan is working for you. This means it is time to revisit the plan.

Standard of living: This affects current expenses and savings) and determines the kind of funds that one will need beyond the earning years.

Care should be taken to ensure that the standard of living is consistent with the income earned and that sufficient funds are set aside to be able to maintain the same standard of living in later years. This is particularly important because income levels will fall post-retirement.

Goals: A good financial plan lists down the long term and short term goals and this helps one understand and predict the future expenditures better. One should review goals each year and check whether these have been achieved, the progress towards achieving these and any changes that are needed to achieve these goals.

For example, have an emergency fund for unexpected expenses, or for a child's education, marriage, and so on.

Again, some goals could be for post-retirement period, such as going on a foreign holiday and special planning should be made for these.

Risk level: One should always keep in mind that insurance is critical and ensure sufficient insurance coverage. It is advisable to regularly check the cover and to estimate current and future insurance needs - be it for vehicle, home, life or medical, and then consider if there is sufficient insurance cover or if one needs to increase/ change the cover. For instance, if you taken a life insurance policy before marriage, the sum assured may be less.

It is prudent to increase the sum assured after marriage and when you have children. Especially if you are the sole earning member in the family.

One should always ensure that the financial plan does not remain stagnant and the net worth keeps growing. Net worth is the measure of financial health (that is total assets less total liabilities). One should ensure that their financial plan is up to date, and based on their financial goals - this will ensure a growing net worth.

Always ensure that the financial plan is flexible. A flexible financial plan is necessary since the future is unpredictable and priorities change every year. A financial plan health check is a continuous process and needs to be updated after every stage or any circumstance in one's life.

Keep in mind

• A good financial plan should be made and reviewed regularly (at least once a year)
• Take into account financial goals, insurance cover, standard of living, income levels
• Review your plan keeping inflation in mind
• Keep your financial plan flexible since priorities could change
• Your financial plan should help grow your net worth

The writer is a certified financial planner