Joanna Little shares her life planning journey with Kinder Institute’s COO Lora Woodward. She is the CEO and Chartered Financial Planner with Emery Little based in Hemel Hempstead, UK. Joanna is one of over 600 professionals globally that have earned the prestigious Registered Life Planner® (RLP®) designation.
Lean into the process and experience it for yourself!
Joanna Little has a unique journey that led her to embrace life planning as a core philosophy in her financial practice. Growing up in a family deeply rooted in financial services, with her father and grandfather serving as financial advisors, Joanna’s path to becoming a registered life planner was not a conventional one.
After graduating from university, Joanna joined her family’s business with a two-year commitment, initially hesitant about the “touchy-feely” aspects of life planning. However, her perspective shifted after attending the five-day EVOKE® Life Planning Training. Joanna found the experience life-changing and realized the value of building trust and meaningful relationships with clients, which aligned with her belief that financial planning is fundamentally life planning.
For Joanna, life planning is not just about financial goals but also about understanding what brings meaning and fulfillment to her clients’ lives. It’s a way to build trust quickly, especially with new clients, and to have richer, more meaningful conversations that go beyond just financial matters. The process allows clients to explore their deepest aspirations and align their financial decisions with their life goals.
One of the most impactful aspects of life planning for Joanna has been the ability to help clients gain clarity, especially in midlife. By understanding their core values and aspirations, clients can make pivotal decisions with more confidence and courage. Joanna emphasizes that this clarity is not just empowering for clients but also deeply fulfilling for her as a financial planner.
Joanna’s approach to life planning extends beyond her professional life. She has personally benefited from the process, gaining clarity on her personal relationships and career aspirations. By experiencing life planning as a client herself, Joanna has become a stronger advocate for the process, recognizing its power to bring about positive change.
Looking ahead, Joanna is excited about the evolution of life planning in her practice. She aims to reach more clients through the process, focusing on building better relationships and enriching client conversations. Additionally, she looks forward to sharing the life planning experience with her husband, recognizing the value it can bring to their relationship.
Joanna’s journey exemplifies how life planning goes beyond financial advice, empowering individuals to live more purposeful and fulfilling lives. Joanna’s commitment to integrating life planning into her practice and personal life highlights its profound impact on both clients and practitioners alike.
Joanna Little Bio
Joanna is a third generation financial adviser, following in her dad and grandad’s footsteps. As a Chartered Financial Planner, she combines her technical capability with the skills learned as a Registered Life Planner® to help clients build a life and financial plan around what matters most to them. Joanna really enjoys working through the complexity of a situation to reach the simplicity on the other side. She says, “I believe financial planning is fundamentally about life planning. The client, their life, and what’s important to them has to drive the technical side of things and any investment decisions. You need to listen to clients properly to understand what matters to them – one of the things my training has taught me is how to listen, and be genuinely comfortable in silence.” Joanna sits on the board of NextGen Planners and is a member of The Ideas Exchange. https://emerylittle.com/
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.
