In this regular column for Financial Planning Today, columnist Carly Dunningham, an experienced Financial Planner and chair of the CISI's Financial Planning Forum, looks at why Financial Planning requires deep conversations. You can more columns from Carly and other industry experts in Financial Planning Today magazine.
One of the things I love most about being a Financial Planner isn’t the spreadsheets, projections or tax calculations.
It’s the moments when a single, well timed question opens up a conversation that clients haven’t had before, sometimes in years, sometimes ever.
Often it starts simply: “What would financial freedom actually look like for you?” Or “How do you imagine retirement?” There’s usually a pause. A glance between partners. And then, gradually, the conversation begins to flow.
Recently I experienced a particularly powerful example. I was speaking with a couple whose lives are shaped by caring for their severely disabled son.
Every decision they make is influenced by his needs - from the food they eat, chosen carefully to support long term health and longevity, to how they structure daily life around care and routines.
As we explored their future plans, I asked what retirement might look like for them. It was then that the wife shared something they hadn’t fully articulated before: her desire for her husband to retire earlier, so he could be at home more to help care for their son.
They spoke about wanting to travel in retirement - not away from him, but with him.
That single conversation marked a shift. It moved retirement from being a vague, distant concept to something tangible, intentional and deeply personal. It also made them stop and think quite differently about the plan.
If this is what they want their future to look like, when does work need to end? And what needs to happen, financially, to make that possible?
Day to day, many couples operate in practical mode. Work, family, care responsibilities and busy schedules take precedence. Conversations about the future get postponed or left unsaid. Financial Planning creates a rare opportunity to pause, step back and look ahead together.
As planners, we must always remember we don’t just deal with numbers and financial products.
Carly Dunningham is a Chartered and Certified Financial Planner. She is the Chair of the CISI Financial Planning Forum and a voice for the profession.
- This column first appeared in Financial Planning Today magazine, May-June 2026 edition. Carly's column appears in each issue of the magazine. You can subscribe to the magazine by registering for this website and then checking package options.