Navigating the complexities of financial planning can feel overwhelming at times. Whether you’re looking to build wealth, plan for a comfortable retirement, or secure your family’s financial future, having a tailored plan in place makes all the difference. A well-structured financial plan not only provides clarity but also makes sure that your goals are met in a way that’s both efficient and lasting.

At Cantor Fitzgerald Ireland, we understand that everyone’s financial situation is unique. That’s why we take the time to build a bespoke plan for each client, utilising our Strategic Financial Advice Framework designed to create a personalised roadmap to help you make informed decisions and optimise your wealth to meet your life ambitions with confidence and clarity.

Our Four-Step Framework Each step of our framework is aligned to your unique needs and specific financial objectives. There are four key stages that we guide our clients through on their journey with us, supporting you every step of the way:

1. Needs & Objectives Analysis

Every journey begins with a conversation. We begin by understanding your current situation and identifying and prioritising your financial and life goals. By thoroughly assessing this, we can highlight any gaps and potential risks that exist. This typically involves a review of your current savings, investments, insurance coverage, retirement plans, and overall spending patterns to create a full picture of your financial world.

2. Agreeing on a Strategy

With a clear understanding of those needs, we explore the most suitable strategies to meet your goals. At this stage, we look at the risks and benefits of different options, all the time ensuring they fit with your long-term goals. The aim is to develop a strategy that’s both realistic and effective and considers factors like your timeline, your risk tolerance, and what you aspire to financially.

3. Recommendations & Decisions

Once we’ve agreed on a strategy, we provide clear, actionable recommendations. These recommendations are designed to help implement the chosen strategy effectively and seamlessly, making sure that complex decisions are turned into simple, manageable steps that help you act with confidence. At this stage we also highlight key financial decisions that need to be made, like how much you need to contribute towards your retirement, what type of insurance coverage is needed, and how best to invest for the future, so you can move forward with clarity and confidence.

4. Implementation & Ongoing Review

The final step in our framework involves putting the plan into action. However, financial planning is an ongoing process, so we make sure we conduct regular progress reviews to ensure that the plan stays on track and adapts to any changes in your life circumstances. And if there are major life changes like a change of employment, marriage, the birth of a child, or health issues, we make sure that additional reviews are available to keep the plan on track with your evolving need.

Client Story: John & Mary

John (51) and Mary (49), like many busy professionals, were juggling demanding careers, raising two children, and trying to make smart financial decisions for their future. John owns a business valued at €800,000, while Mary is self-employed. Together, they earn €220,000 annually and are raising their two children, Molly (15) and Cian (9).

Their goals were clear: retire at 60, support their children with first-home deposits, maintain a comfortable lifestyle well into their 90s, and leave behind a meaningful legacy. But like many families, they weren’t sure how they would financially achieve these goals or what gaps might be holding them back, so they came to us, and we worked through how to help them plan for their goals.

Step 1: Understanding Their Needs

We began with a full review of their financial picture including their income, savings, insurance, pensions, and estate plans. We also looked at what would happen if the unexpected occurred, such as a serious illness or premature death.

The review uncovered a few key concerns. John and Mary were underinsured, which left their family vulnerable if something were to happen. They had no emergency fund to cover unexpected expenses, and their retirement savings weren’t on track to meet their long-term targets. They also didn’t have a clear estate plan or up-to-date wills, making it harder to pass wealth efficiently to their children.

€2.7m Total Net Worth

€280k Liabilities

€2.97m Assets

Step 2: Mapping Out The Strategy

With their goals and challenges mapped out, we designed a plan tailored to their needs.

Protection: we recommended income protection policies: an executive policy for John, paid through his business, and a personal plan for Mary.

Emergencies: we advised setting up a €50,000 emergency fund to give them peace of mind and flexibility.

Savings: to support Molly and Cian’s future, we created monthly savings plans of €500 dedicated to education and property deposits.

Retirement: we modelled a €700,000 lump-sum pension contribution for John in 2025, followed by annual top-ups. For Mary, we structured her pension contributions to maximise tax relief and considered deferring pension drawdown to improve efficiency.

Estate: we helped them start their legacy planning. Using bare trusts, they now transfer €6,000 per year to each child without affecting their lifetime gifting threshold. We also recommended a Section 72 life assurance policy to cover any future inheritance tax bills

Step 3: Making It Happen

With their plan agreed, we worked closely with John and Mary to put everything in place from setting up policies and retirement plans to opening savings accounts and working with their solicitor on estate planning.

Step 4: Ongoing Support

Today, John and Mary have a clear path forward. They know where they stand, what they’re working towards, and how to adjust if life changes. With regular reviews from us to adapt to any changes, we ensure their plan stays aligned with their long-term goals.

“Before we started this process, I was really worried that we just didn’t know how to plan properly. There were so many moving parts from thinking about retirement, helping the kids with school and eventually a home, and ensuring we had enough saved if something unexpected happened. It felt overwhelming, and we weren’t sure where to start”

Conclusion

Financial planning doesn’t have to feel overwhelming. With the right advice and a structured approach, you can make confident decisions that protect your future and give your family peace of mind. Our four-step framework helps clients like John and Mary build a secure future for them and their loved ones and reach their financial goals with confidence

Laura Reidy, Director of Wealth Management Pension

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