A couple of years ago, I picked up padel, a fast-paced racket sport that’s popular in Europe and Latin America and sits somewhere between tennis and squash. What started as curiosity quickly turned into something I genuinely love. My coach jokes that I’d happily train five hours a day if time allowed.
Not long ago, I mentioned to Jonathan that while I love what I do and the people I work with, if I could do anything, I’d want to be a professional padel player. His response then stuck with me because he told me I kind of already have the best of both worlds, since my job gives me the means to do what I love. I had never really thought about that before. But I don’t think it’s only my job that does that; I believe that’s the essence of what financial planning is meant to do.
Financial planning isn’t really about money. It’s about creating the ability to spend your time and energy on the things that bring you joy, whether that’s a sport, time with family, travel, or simply flexibility and peace of mind.
As the year comes to an end, I invite you to reflect on whether your money is helping you live the life you want to enjoy today. When money supports what matters now, not just later, that’s when the plan actually works.
Cheers to 2026, and happy new year!
