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Phase 2.5 · Goals Discovery

Goals Discovery Worksheet

Step 2 of the CFP Board 7-Step Financial Planning Process. SMART goals, prioritized and time-bound — the foundation of every plan.

How to use: Document every meaningful financial goal across the 8 categories below. For each, capture a target dollar amount, target date, and priority. Use Critical / Important / Nice-to-have to force ranking. The output is a prioritized goals table, a funding-gap total, and a 2026-2070 timeline that anchors every downstream calculator in the IFR Toolkit.

🌴1. RetirementWhen do you stop trading time for money?

Priority:

🎓2. Education FundingCollege for each child

Priority:

🏠3. Home / Real EstatePrimary residence & investment property

Primary Home Priority:
Investment Property Priority:

✈️4. Major Purchases / LifestyleVacations, cars, weddings, sabbaticals

❤️5. Charitable / LegacyAnnual giving & charitable bequests

Priority:

💼6. Business GoalsExit, valuation, succession (if applicable)

Priority:

🛟7. Emergency FundLiquid cash for the unexpected

Months of Expenses to Hold
Priority:

💳8. Debt-Free DateEliminate all non-mortgage debt

Priority:

📊 Goals SummaryLive totals across all categories

Goals Identified
0
SMART goals captured
Total Target $
$0
Combined dollar objective
Currently Funded
$0
Already saved/invested
Funding Gap
$0
Still need to fund

📋 Prioritized Goals TableClick headers to sort

Priority Target Date Category Description Target $ Funded $ Gap $
No goals yetFill in any section above and your goals will appear here, sorted by priority.

📅 Goals Timeline · 2026 - 2070Each bar shows target year and $ amount

← Back to V3 Phase 2.5 → Budget Builder
Next step: Once goals are captured and saved, every downstream calculator in the IFR Toolkit (Cash Flow Worksheet, Retirement Overview, Education Funding, Wealth Building Potential) pulls these targets automatically. The CFP 7-Step Process treats goals as the second step after data gathering — they drive every recommendation that follows.