In my “Return on Life” process, I’ve created number scales for things like “savings” and “retirement” and “children” and asked couples to pick a number on the scale that corresponds to their attitudes about that topic and how comfortable they are currently feeling about it. For example, their philosophy about debt may lie on a graph point somewhere between the preference of being completely debt free and being OK with a lot of debt to fund the things they would like to do. After that, there’s a “comfort” bar that shows how comfortable they are with their current position on the map.
Here are some topics. Clients choose a point on the scale between them to demonstrate their attitudes:
1. Debt: Would you rather be debt free … or are you OK being highly leveraged?
2. Saving: Would you like to accumulate consistently over time … or would you like to get to it later?
3. Spending: Would you like to live below your means … or would you like to spend freely?
4. Insurance: Do you feel you must insure all you have … or would you rather self-insure everything?
5. The stock market: Does it scare you … or do you love investing?
6. Your children: Would you like them to earn their own way … or would you like to give them every advantage?
7. Giving: Would you prefer to save all you can … or do you want to give more?
8. Retirement: Do you never want to retire … or can you not wait to retire?