The advisor begins this conversation with a nugget of wisdom, to wit: “In my X years in this business, one of the most important observations I’ve made is that many people fail to prepare ahead of big life changes and end up making mistakes in those transitions. We’ve decided ‘It is better to prepare than to repair,’ and we want to take a more proactive approach with our clients.”

Then you can help them, at a very personal level, begin to chart out their own lifeline. In this discovery process, clients will learn that:

• Each life event can affect them financially.

• There is value in being ahead of the game of life.

• Not every transition announces its arrival. There are expected—and unexpected—life transitions.

• Having a good planner is about more than investment returns.

The last point is crucial in an age of eroding and vaporous value propositions. There are many significant passages and changes in life—and money is part of each chapter of the story. The most powerful value proposition going forward is for clients to understand that they need a trustworthy advisor to help them navigate the plethora of financial decisions they will need to make in life.

These transitions are typically dealt with one at a time, based on their chronology or urgency. What this means for you, the advisor, is that you’ll always have something of interest to discuss with your clients: the next chapter in their lives. Clients never get tired of this topic. Redundant market and investment return reports … well, that’s another matter. Talking to clients about their unfolding story is the highest form of personalization possible.

And the process of financial advice should become more personal to every client if we hope to retain that client and prove worthy of compensation. The clients need to sense great value in every conversation with you. If you’re not addressing these matters, you’re taking an unnecessary risk. Clients will be drawn to somebody who is comfortable with these talks. The value of proactive life-centered planning is inestimable for the client and for the good of your practice.

The same rule that applies to the life of the client applies to the life of the advisor: It’s better to prepare than to repair.