In my first blog of the year, I described the start of 2026 as a time to reflect on what 2025 revealed about our relationship with money. Before rushing into targets or resolutions, it’s often far more helpful to pause and ask how things have actually been going.
This second blog builds on that reflection with something more practical: the 60-minute Financial Health Check.
It’s a simple, structured check-in that you can complete once a year—on your own, with your partner, or with your financial adviser—to sense-check where you are and how you feel about your finances.
A Simple Habit That Makes a Big Difference
At home, we have what we call a check-in. It’s centred around our values, but it also includes an honest conversation about money. We’ve found it incredibly valuable.
Why? Because it ensures:
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We stay aligned
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Nothing is hidden or assumed
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Small issues don’t quietly become bigger ones
This isn’t meant to feel like a formal review or a tick-box exercise. In fact, it works best when it feels relaxed.
If you enjoy a drink, go to the pub and work through it together over a glass of wine.
If not, sit in a café with a coffee and cake.
The setting matters less than the conversation.
What the 60-Minute Financial Health Check Covers
The exercise is designed to take around an hour and focuses on six key areas that most people—and advisers—recognise as the foundations of good financial planning.
1. Income and Cashflow
This is your opportunity to step back and look at:
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How much comes in
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What goes out
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How that balance makes you feel
It’s not just about affordability—it’s about whether your cashflow feels calm or constantly reactive.
2. Spending and Lifestyle
Here the focus shifts to values.
Does your spending reflect what’s genuinely important to you?
Are there areas where money supports your priorities—and areas where it quietly drifts away from them?
This is often where the most useful conversations happen.
3. Emergency Planning
This is an area many of us avoid—I certainly include myself in that.
The question here is simple:
If something unexpected happened, have you set anything aside?
It’s not about perfection. It’s about awareness and resilience.
4. Protection and Safety Nets
If something were to happen—illness, accident, loss of income—what plans are in place?
This part of the check-in helps you think through:
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Insurance and protection
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Who might be affected
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Whether cover still reflects your current life
5. Savings, Investments and Pensions
This is your chance to talk about:
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What you’re saving or investing for
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Whether you have a clear strategy
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How you feel about your current approach
Confidence matters just as much as returns.
6. Goals, Values and Direction
This final section links closely with the values exercise we’ve already shared on the Money Wise UK website.
It brings everything together and asks:
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Are your plans aligned with your goals?
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Do those goals still reflect what matters most?
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Does your money support the life you want, or the life you feel you should want?
Not About Resolutions—About Sense Checking
As we start a new year, this isn’t about setting rigid resolutions or beating yourself up for what didn’t go perfectly.
It’s about sense checking.
Once you’ve completed the exercise, you may decide to:
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Make a small change
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Do nothing, but feel reassured
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Speak to your financial adviser for clarity and guidance
If you’re a financial adviser, this is also a powerful exercise to share with clients. As I explore in Money and Meaning, one of the greatest causes of financial anxiety isn’t money itself—it’s our relationship with it.
This checklist is a simple way to break down barriers, encourage honest conversations, and create a better starting point for meaningful financial planning.
This is how good planning starts.
Download the 60-Minute Financial Health Check
You can download the full checklist here and work through it at your own pace, or use it as a conversation starter with your adviser or clients.
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