Plan a roadmap to your future

STEP 1: Where do you want to go?

A. My goal: ______________________________________
(Example: Take an around-the-world trip.)

B. When do I want this to happen? ____ years ____ months
(Example: In 2 years.)

C. How much do I think it will cost? $ ________
(Example: $10,000, variable budget)

STEP 2: What will that look like?

What will I need to have in place in order to achieve this goal?

A. My finances: ______________________________________
(Example: I need to have saved $10,000 and have all my credit cards paid off and set up a line of credit for emergency funds.)

B. My work: ______________________________________
(Example: I need to arrange for a leave of absence closer to the time.)

C. My family: ______________________________________
(Example: My spouse will also need to prepare for the trip.)

D. Other: ______________________________________
(Example: I need to plan out the itinerary and create a comprehensive “to-do” list.)

STEP 3: How will you get there?

Using Your Savings Tool, I can see that I will need to save $_____ a month in order to achieve this goal.

You may need to adjust your responses, like saving over a longer timeframe, in Step 1 depending on the results of Your Savings Tool exercise.

STEP 4: What do you need to do now, to make it happen?

A. For my finances, I need to take the first steps:
______________________________________
(Example: I need to open a TFSA (Tax-Free Savings Account) with a safe investment like a GIC because I’ll need to access the funds in less than two years. I also need to set up a Pre-authorized Transfer Service. I need to boost my credit card payments to get the balance paid down.)

B. My work: ______________________________________
(Example: No action needed yet.)

C. My family: ______________________________________
(Example: I need to see if my spouse can take time off work too.)

D. Other: ______________________________________
(Example: I need to start doing research on my destination, and reassess the plan in six months.)