Why These Questions Matter
Life‑planning pioneer George Kinder invites people to reflect deeply on what truly matters by imagining three powerful scenarios. George Kinder’s three questions remove financial constraints so you can see your priorities with clarity—before life forces the issue.
These questions are foundational in values‑based financial planning, helping you uncover what you want your money to do for your life, not the other way around.
Kinder’s Three Life‑Planning Questions
- Imagine that you are financially secure, with enough money to take care of all of your needs both now and into the future. How would you live your life? What would you do with money? Would you change anything?
- Imagine that you are still financially secure, but you’ve been given a diagnosis with 5-10 years left to live. You will not suffer through an illness, but you will die, unexpectedly and without notice, during that time. What will you do in the time you have remaining to live? Will you change your life? If so, how will you change it?
- Imagine worse news: You’re still financially secure, but you’re going to die tomorrow. Which of your dreams will be left unfulfilled? What do you wish you had finished? What do you wish you had done?
What These Questions Reveal
The point is to get you to think about what’s important to you, what’s critically important to you, and what your priorities are. How would you spend your time? How would you spend your money? By removing financial conditions and constraints from the equation (remember, in each scenario, you are financially secure), you can imagine your life without limits. It’s a thought-provoking and clarifying process.
The Two Islands: Quantitative and Qualitative
However, in the real world, very few of us are fully, permanently financially secure, regardless of what life throws at us. That would be one big paradise.
Instead, we live our lives bouncing back and forth between two islands.
The first island is your quantitative island. This island houses everything in your life that has a number on it: your income, your debts, your assets, your spending.
The second island is your qualitative island. This island houses your hopes and dreams, your values and goals.
Financial Planning Is the Bridge Between the Two
Good financial planning involves building a bridge between those two islands so that you can create a financial plan that supports your values and goals, instead of limiting your goals by your finances.[1] Good financial planning doesn’t start with spreadsheets. It starts with you—your values, your story, your priorities.
Now, this does not mean that financial planning erases constraints. But it can align your money with what matters most. When your plan reflects your values, your finances become a tool for living intentionally rather than a barrier to the life you want.
How Dominion Financial Advisors Helps
At Dominion Financial Advisors, our process includes a Discovery Meeting—a conversation focused on your qualitative island. We want to understand who you are apart from your money and determine whether our values align with yours.
When there’s resonance, we can build a financial plan that supports your goals, honors your priorities, and helps you live with clarity and confidence.
Schedule a consultation to begin creating a financial plan that reflects your values and supports the life you want to build.
[1] Thanks to Cody Garrett at Measure Twice Planners for help with this analogy.