Introduction

Planning your financial future is much like learning to drive a car. At first all the information and moving parts seem daunting. You have to think about controlling your speed, changing gears, indicating, checking mirrors, reading signs… But as you take one step at a time, you learn the basics, and driving becomes second nature.

For many people, sitting down to work out a financial plan feels the same as getting into a vehicle for the first time. They are overwhelmed and end up with many more questions than answers: What does all the jargon mean? Which products are right for me? Where can I get accurate information? Will I ever be able to understand it all? This book is designed to answer your questions and become your ‘Highway Code’ of money management. It will help you cut through the confusion and break down financial planning into simple, manageable steps.

After reading it, you should be able to avoid roadblocks and be prepared to set out on your route toward financial freedom. We spend around 14,000 hours in school being taught so many subjects, but how much of that time is spent learning how to handle money? For most of us, it is not very much – and yet managing money is a vital life skill. Fortunately, it is never too late to start your financial education. While this book deals with the basics of financial planning, it is by no means exhaustive: each principle covered could probably be a book in itself.

To continue beyond the fundamentals covered here, we encourage you to attend Genistar’s seminars or online courses. We hope this information will be as useful to you as it has been to many others over the years. Fasten your seat belt, your journey is about to begin!