What are your suggestions for clients that are having trouble even getting started up the Values Staircase™? I have had a couple clients that answer the "What’s Important About Money... To You" question with answers like “growth” or “retirement”. Even after I try to get them to take a step back and look at the question more broadly, they are still answering with very specific answers that seem more like goals.

Article ID: 203

Last updated: 20 Nov, 2019

Just accept whatever answer they give you and ask, “What’s Important About the-last-answer… To You? I don’t know what you are saying in your attempt to get them to step back and look more broadly, but they may feel judged and think they are providing the wrong answer which could shut them down.

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What if someone gets stuck on the Financial Road Map®? For example, we’re going up the Values Staircase™ and they say, “Taking care of my kids.” And I say, What’s Important About taking care of your kids, To You?” And they say, “I don’t know what’s important about that. It just is.” I tried projecting into the future but hit the same roadblock. Is there anything else I can do to help them move up further, or should I just stop there even if it is only ½ way up the Values Staircase™?

I'm new to Values-Based Financial Planning™ and am looking forward to the Academy 1 in October. In the meantime, I wanted your guidance on the following: I've been referred to a young family man who is dying. I'm wondering about how he'll react to a question like, “What’s Important About… To You?” and probably more so to the question about his tangible goals... especially as he doesn't have much of a road to look down. How do you handle conversations with people who are dying, especially young people with families?

In my Financial Road Map® Conversations I find that my clients want to talk about the deck, car and the children’s education when I am trying to dig out their Core Values. I am not sure if I am making mistakes or just need to redirect them to their values. I am telling them that we will discuss the Goals in just a few minutes but need for them to go through the Values Conversation™.

I know that I shouldn't prompt for an answer when I ask, "What's Important About Money......To You?" However, do you have any suggestions on "alleviating" the client's "anxiety"? Also do you think this is because of their experience (or lack of experience as it pertains to planning) or is it my Way of Being™?

What do I do when the partner who goes second during the Values & Goals Conversations™ says, "My answers are the same as my partners," or, "I don't need to go up the Values Staircase™."

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