A plan is only as good as its upkeep

Good stewardship does not happen by accident. It happens by intention, year after year. That is why the same five stages that built your plan become the structure of your annual review. Nothing gets skipped, and nothing depends on you remembering to bring it up.

The five questions we answer every year

Know: What has changed? Family, income, goals, health, employment, assets, and priorities. Your plan should reflect your life as it is now.

Protect: What needs protection now? Insurance, estate documents, portfolio risk, and any new vulnerabilities the year introduced.

Recognize: What opportunities does this season present? Tax moves, retirement decisions, investment adjustments, and estate strategies that fit your current circumstances.

Grow: Are your resources still positioned appropriately? Allocation, risk, contributions, and whether rebalancing is due. Measured against your plan, and never against headlines.

Provide: Are we still accomplishing what matters? Retirement income on track, family provided for, generosity and legacy intentions current.

What comes out of it

Every review ends the same way the original plan did: a short list of action items with owners and target dates, and your next review on the calendar. Most years, the answer is steady confirmation with a few adjustments. When life changes in a big way, the review is where the plan changes with it. Either way, you walk out knowing exactly where you stand, which is the whole point.