Like so many others, I have been giving thought to the opportunities that Covid-19 presents to those people who are not so badly affected by the fallout of the pandemic and to the struggles of those who are severely impacted.

The more I thought about it, I realised that people who are basically not or only marginally affected financially by the crisis, actually could come out better off on the other side, that’s if they’re smart. On the other hand, those who are badly affected financially probably can’t afford to pay for the type of financial advice they may desperately need at this time.

I’d like to try and help both, so here’s my thinking and an idea….

For the foreseeable future, we are going to have a greater than normal distinction between the Haves and the Have Nots.

The Haves are the households who still have their normal working income. The Have Nots are those suffering through this crisis.

For the Haves, times like these present great opportunities to set themselves up for the future. For the Have Nots, things could be very tough!

I’ve come up with a plan to do what I can to help both, and still keep my business bubbling away. I’m looking for support to PAY IT FORWARD.

For every Have who comes on board as a new client over the next three months, I’ll work with a family of Have Nots for free.

If you’re a Have, you can get great financial advice and set yourself up with a solid financial plan for your future while at the same time supporting my local and independent business and together we will be paying it forward to help me work with someone who is not so lucky during this time.

Of course, I’d love to be able to do this for free without your support, but I also need to be putting food on my own family’s table. I figure this is a win/win/win scenario with my business ensuring its survival, people who can make the most of the current situation getting great value, independent financial advice and those doing it tough being supported by others in their community.

As an independent financial adviser, the only people who pay me are my clients. I don’t get any payments or commissions from any product providers… it’s what allows me to legally lay claim to being independent and it’s something I’m extremely proud of.

My pay it forward idea is one practical way for me to help families to take control of their financial future and together, we then help other less-fortunate families take control of theirs.

Financial planning is about having a vision of the financial future you want and then putting in place as many smart strategies as possible to work towards that future. Things like:

• Smart budgeting
• Proper protection in place in case something goes wrong
• Making superannuation work hard
• Investing with low fees and diversification
• Paying off the mortgage in good time
• And enjoying life along the way

We all know we should be doing these things and most of us either kick the can down the road intending to get to it one day, or simply ignore these things and hope things will just work themselves out over time. Hope is not a plan!

So, imagine getting these things sorted out for your household and then paying it forward for someone else.

If you work with me, you can put me in touch with someone you care about who you know could use some help and I can help them, or we can work with Orange City Life and find those deserving of a leg up right now.

You may have a relative, your parents or your children, a co-worker, a friend, a neighbour or an acquaintance… or perhaps someone who’s been on the frontline during this crisis. You can nominate whoever you like. You can do it anonymously if you wish.

What’s in it for you? Well, as we keep hearing our leaders telling us… we’re all in this together!

Set yourself up for the financial future you deserve while doing something great. The best thing is that it won’t cost you anything more than it would have otherwise. It’s simply a way for me to work with you and we both contribute to helping someone else.

Let me know what you think.

Cheers,

Daniel