During the Goals conversation, is it OK to guide the participants towards a "Financial independence/retirement" goal if I know from the Values Staircase™ that is important to them but they don't volunteer it as a goal?

This is a bit tricky because I could go either way on this one. On the one hand, I understand what you mean that they brought it up during the Values Conversation™, so offering it as a goal when that time comes seems like an okay thing to do. On the other hand, if it’s so important, why didn’t they mention it when you asked about their goals that require money and planning to achieve?

You want clients who follow your advice, but you don’t want to have to think for them.

In the end, you can’t care more about someone’s future than they care about it themselves.