The personal financial planning process is one that begins with defining your needs, objectives and your current situation. Once these are established, your financial planner is able to devise a plan to meet your financial goals.

Your financial planner will typically tell you what you need to bring with you to your first meeting. They may even ask you to fill in a fact finding questionnaire about your current situation before this meeting takes place.

To assist you in preparing for your first visit to your financial planner, a checklist of the likely information that will be required has been prepared. Of course, this list will vary according to your circumstances and the type of advice you require.

Income and Expenditure

Income                                                                

• Current and projected income
• Latest pay slips (for employees) 
• Profit & Loss statements (for business income)
• Superannuation/pension entitlements 
• Statement of other non investment income 
• Family trust distribution documents
• Maintenance payment agreements
• Most recent taxation returns
• Annuity income statements
• Current DDS benefit statements

Expenses

• Housing (rent statements, mortgage payments, rates, water, electricity, gas, telephone, house contents insurance, 
   repairs/maintenance, furnishings/appliances) 
• Transport (petrol, registration, insurance, maintenance, loan/lease payments, parking,  public transport)
• Food
• Health (health insurance, chemist, medical fees)
• Education
• Personal (clothing, footwear, entertainment, sports/hobbies, subscription/fees, life insurance, disability insurance, 
   superannuation contributions)  
• Other expenses (child maintenance/support, vet fees, etc)
• Superannuation/divorce planning
• Salary packaging details
• Business succession planning

Note: Your financial planner will not require copies of documentation detailing this information. However, your financial planner will require you to provide an indication of these costs.

Assets and Liabilities

Assets

• Principal residence
• Holiday house
• Investment properties
• Farms
• Vacant land
• Collectibles
• House contents
• Personal property (e.g. jewellery)
• Motor vehicles
• Caravans/Boats
• Mortgage/loan receivables 
• Company or trust loan accounts 
• Life insurance cash surrender value
• Other asset valuables

• fixed term investments 
• current employee superannuation
• other superannuation (excluding rollovers)
• personal superannuation 
• rollovers
• shares and existing managed fund investments 
• life insurance and;
• Other insurances (total and permanent disablement, income protection, trauma, general insurance, health insurance, business insurance). 

Note: Your financial planner will not require copies of the documentation that details this information (e.g. mortgage documents or title deeds). However, your financial planner will require you to provide an indication of the current value of all of your assets.

Liabilities

• Principal residence mortgage 
• Other property mortgages
• Motor vehicle debt
• Investment loans 
• Total credit card debt 
• other liabilities 
• Existing investments
• bank accounts
 

Note: Your financial planner will not require copies of the documentation detailing this information (e.g. mortgage documents or title deeds). However, your financial planner will require you to provide an indication of the current value of all of your assets.