A simple guide to building a financial framework that works for you

As the summer season prompts focus on immediate expenses, it also serves as a timely reminder to plan for long-term financial success.

Liberty Financial Advisor Sheila-Anne Robey emphasises that a solid financial plan focuses more on a comprehensive, empowering approach to life rather than on complex figures.

Listen to the interview below:

According to Robey, a solid plan begins with thorough risk planning. “None of the goals and dreams that you have in place actually come to fruition if something devastating happens to you,” she stated. From that foundation, a well-designed plan expands to include emergency savings, a structured budget, and vital estate planning.

However, Robey highlighted that the technical aspects are just one part of the equation. The emotional component is equally vital. “A lot of financial planning has to take into account a holistic approach, where the emotional part is really as important as the numbers themselves,” she explained. Life events like death, divorce, or career changes take a heavy toll, and the burden of debt often brings feelings of guilt and shame. The role of a financial advisor, therefore, is to create a “safe space for customers and clients to speak to us with vulnerability” and to act as an accountability partner on the path to financial freedom.

Robey suggests that many South Africans have financial products, but these are often isolated. A genuine financial plan weaves everything together. “A good financial plan is where my client feels empowered,” she said. It provides a step-by-step framework that increases awareness, from receiving a salary to planning for children’s education, retirement, and emergency savings.