Ever wondered what true transformation feels like? 🤔 Over the past year, I went on a journey that completely shifted my view on life, family, and work. Through life planning, I found a new way to align my passions, dreams, and financial goals. The experience was so impactful, I can’t help but share it with you! Come along as I take you on my exciting adventure of growth, connection, and self-discovery. ✨
Starting Point: Embarking on the Journey of Life Planning 🌱
Last March, I made a bold move—I quit my corporate job to create my own business in fee-only financial planning. Influenced by several respected Registered Life Planner® (RLP®) professionals and CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® (CFP®) professionals, I was struck by how deeply their approaches resonated with my own beliefs. After reading The Seven Stages of Money Maturity by George Kinder, the father of life planning, I realized my experiences and philosophies were incredibly similar to his.
Like George, I also majored in English Literature, became a CPA, then pivoted into financial planning, and practice meditation. I also deeply believe that financial planning is not just about accumulating wealth but about more importantly, helping people live their best lives. So, without hesitation, I signed up for the first of three parts of the Registered Life Planner® designation training—a two-day course called “The Seven Stages of Money Maturity® Training.”
Course Experience: A Deep Dive into Self-Discovery 💭
The training happened last September, and that’s when the story official began. I sat alongside a group of seasoned financial planners, exploring our early money memories, our emotional connections to money, and the insights we had gained along the way. It was a transformative experience; I found myself moved to tears multiple times, feeling that we are like angels with broken wings who have found our way out and now want to help others make the world a better place.
This training fundamentally changed the way I empathized with my clients. I transformed from someone who was very logic-driven and analytical into a much better listener and companion. I started creating spaces where clients could express their feelings, learned how to accept and guide them through their emotions, and used a vision that’s aligned with their core values to bring positive energy back to our engagement.🌈
Mentor that Accelerated the Journey 🏃
Although I wanted to attend the second part of the training, the EVOKE® Life Planning Training (a five-day workshop with George Kinder himself in Hawaii in early 2024), my new entrepreneurial venture didn’t yet have the budget to support it. I planned to work hard so that I can attend the training in February 2025 as a reward to myself.
But life had a different plan. In November 2023, I attended an event where I met Louis Vollebregt, the leader in life planning next to George Kinder. Louis kindly offered to do life planning for my husband and me. Even though my hubby opted out, the experience turned out to be life-changing for me and my family dynamics, which I will talk about right after finishing the changes life planning had on my business. ❤️
From Connection to Freedom: My Service Evolution
Ever since my Seven Stages of Money Maturity training last September, I’ve been offering vision sessions to clients. The process allowed me to connect with them on a much deeper level than I had ever expected. I could see the impact of truly understanding what drives my clients’ emotions and many financial decisions, and it was incredibly fulfilling to help them envision a life aligned with their core values.
However, I soon realized that while I could help clients clarify their visions, I struggled to power them through obstacles that kept them from taking actions. In many cases, the emotions run dense: trauma related to parents, spouses or ex-spouses, unfulfilled approval or regrets related to loved ones who have already passed, or money handed to them but with strings attached. Recognizing my own limitations, I signed up for the EVOKE online training in March and participated in the program in May.
The EVOKE training was transformative for both my practice and my clients. After completing the program, I started offering obstacle sessions in addition to vision sessions. These sessions have allowed me to help clients overcome their fears, doubts, and insecurities. I’ve been able to rechannel their energy towards positive actions that are within their control, which then lead to real transformations in their lives. The situations range from buying a property or not, having kids or not, reconciliation with parents, better communication and deeper trust with their spouse, saving with passion, spending without regrets, work-life balance, career change, starting a business, to focusing on strategic initiatives to grow their business, and more. Seeing these changes unfold has been incredibly rewarding and has solidified my commitment to life planning as a cornerstone of my practice.
Strengthening Marital Bonds: The Power of Trust 👩❤👨
Last September, I faced a challenging moment in my marriage. I wanted to buy a small firm to accelerate my financial planning practice, but my husband was opposed to the idea. While initially upset, I realized during my Seven Stages training that his reluctance could be a form of deeper trust—it motivated me to be clear about my goals and build something that truly aligns with my passion.
By March this year, my husband received a raise at work and passed it on to me: giving me another year to develop my business without any financial concerns. His support has been unwavering, and after seeing my commitment to life planning and finding my community at Garrett Planning Network, he’s fully convinced that I’m already living a life that I love. This realization led him to remove the revenue goal we had set of earning $12k per month by March 2025—two years after I quit my six-figure job. I’m truly grateful for his support and for sharing more and more of my vision of a meaningful life. Our communication has improved significantly, and we now discuss our goals and dreams more openly and supportively than ever before.
Healing Family Wounds: A New Chapter with My Parents 🕊️
For as long as I can remember, my parents have been on the brink of divorce, their relationship hanging by a thread since 1998—the year after I left for boarding school. Decades of tension weighed heavily on our family, and I felt helpless as their only child. But as I embarked on my journey into life planning, I began to see a glimmer of hope.
I took it upon myself to learn more about psychology, started seeing a therapist, and sought out guidance on how to approach their issues with empathy and understanding. This summer, during my trip back to China, I made the brave decision to take my parents to see both a psychiatrist and a psychologist. Of course, they fought back fiercely, resisting every step of the way.
At times, I felt like I was losing hope. But Louis, who has been an incredible mentor in my life planning journey, inspired me to try one more thing: to create a vision for my parents. Deeply touched by his visions for my parents, I presented them to my parents in August.
The results were nothing short of miraculous. Just recently, during a video call, my mom shared that she had actually read the books I left her and was now ready to seek professional help. Even my husband, who had previously said that my efforts with my parents might be better spent focusing on our kids to break the cycle for the next generation, is now imagining the day my dad accepts treatment and starts to see life in a completely new, liberated, and invigorated way.
This experience has left me feeling incredibly proud and entirely convinced of the transformative power of life planning. It’s not just about creating a business, but also helping ourselves, loved ones, and clients envision and create a better life, a life worth living. ✨
For Visual Learners
I know that’s a lot, so I made this chart with four themes: life planning, career, marriage, and parents in time order (from 2023 at the bottom to now at the top), so that it’s easier for you to understand how my world has changed over the past year thanks to life planning.
Conclusion: Believing in the Power of Life Planning 🔥
My journey over the past year has brought about so much transformation, both professionally and personally. Now I’m convicted that life is the ultimate goal of financial planning, and life planning has lasting impacts and should have a central role in people’s lives.
If you’ve ever wondered what life planning could do for you and your loved ones, maybe it’s time to find out. Trust me, the journey is worth it in every way! 🌟
–This post was lightly edited and originally printed as a LinkedIn article on September 11, 2024 on Prudence Zhu’s profile. Read the full post here.
Prudence Zhu Bio
Hailing from China, Prudence Zhu embarked on a journey from notable positions in private equity and corporate finance to establishing Enso Financial, a platform dedicated to transparent financial advice for mid-career professionals and business owners. An advocate for financial literacy, Prudence has also imparted her expertise as an instructor at Arizona State University (ASU). A certified CPA and PFS, Prudence’s mission is to empower clients, furnishing them with the knowledge and tools essential for a prosperous financial journey. Residing in Arizona with her family, her dedication to financial education is evident through her YouTube channel, “Invest with Prudence.”
She acquired her MBA from the University of Notre Dame in 2014 and subsequently achieved her MS in Innovation and Venture Development from Arizona State University (ASU) in 2022.
Prudence is in the process of completing the Registered Life Planner® designation (December 2024) and uses the life planning method with her clients to make their dreams a reality!
Kinder Institute of Life Planning
Kinder Institute of Life Planning provides experiential training on client-centered relationship skills to financial advisors and professionals worldwide.
Since it began in 2003, Kinder Institute of Life Planning has trained thousands on its life planning methodologies that deliver clients into the lives they long to live. The designation of Registered Life Planner® (RLP®) is earned by completing an entire course of study including The Seven Stages of Money Maturity® Training, the EVOKE® Life Planning Training, and a subsequent Life Planning Mentorship Program.
To learn more about life planning, trainings offered by Kinder Institute of Life Planning, or to find an Registered Life Planner® professional, visit www.kinderinstitute.com.
