Want to make travel more a part of your life? Make sure your travels include a visit to a professional financial planner鈥檚 office to map out the best financial route for you.

A recent Financial Planning Standards Council (www.fpsc.ca) study explored the connection between Canadians鈥� financial planning activities and their confidence in meeting a variety of life goals, including travel. The study showed that 66 per cent of people who engage in comprehensive financial planning feel closer to their goal of taking the vacation they want every year, as compared with only 31 per cent of people without a financial plan.

鈥淎 myth about financial planning is that it鈥檚 all about saving for tomorrow and sacrificing your wants of today,鈥� says Cary List, president and CEO of FPSC. 鈥淚n fact, financial planning is about balancing the variety of your wants and needs throughout your life.鈥�

Expert Tip: 鈥淔inancial planning gives you a better chance of getting to where you want to go,鈥� says Sucheta Rajagopal, a certified financial planner with Hampton Securities Limited. 鈥淚f travel is important to you, include this goal in your financial plan. Too many goals go unfulfilled because people didn鈥檛 plan at all or didn鈥檛 factor it in early enough.鈥�

Find a certified financial planner professional in your area online at www.fpsc.ca.

鈥� News Canada

If travelling is part of your retirement plan, take steps to make it possible. 鈥� NC