Major Transitions
What to Bring to a Financial Blind Spot Review (and What Happens Next)
The conversation is focused and practical. Here is how to make the most of it.
What a Blind Spot Review is
A Financial Blind Spot Review is a focused conversation designed to identify gaps in your current financial picture — coverage that does not match your income, protection that has not kept pace with your life, or planning decisions that have not been revisited since your circumstances changed. It is not a sales presentation. It is not a comprehensive financial plan. It is a structured look at what might be missing, with the goal of giving you a clearer picture of where you stand.
What to bring: the basics
You do not need to arrive with a complete financial inventory. The most useful things to have in mind — or on paper — are your approximate household income, your current employer benefits (life insurance, disability, health), any individual insurance policies you own, a rough sense of your retirement account balances, and any major financial events on the horizon (a job change, a home purchase, a child, a retirement). You do not need exact numbers. Ballpark figures are enough to have a useful conversation.
What to bring: the questions
The most valuable thing you can bring is a list of the financial questions you have been meaning to address but have not gotten around to. Is my disability coverage adequate? Do I have enough life insurance? Should I be doing something different with my 401(k)? What happens to my benefits if I change jobs? These are exactly the kinds of questions a Blind Spot Review is designed to address. Writing them down before the meeting ensures they get covered.
What happens during the review
The conversation typically covers four areas: income protection (disability and life insurance), retirement readiness (savings rate, account types, projected income), estate and beneficiary basics (who gets what, and whether the documents reflect current wishes), and any specific concerns or transitions you are navigating. The goal is not to solve every problem in one meeting — it is to identify which problems are most urgent and what the next steps are.
What happens after
After the review, you will have a clearer picture of where the gaps are and what, if anything, needs to change. Some people leave with a short list of specific actions — update a beneficiary, increase a disability benefit, review a life insurance amount. Others leave with confirmation that their current plan is in good shape. Either outcome is useful. The review is not a commitment to anything — it is information.
The barrier is lower than you think
Many people put off a financial review because they assume it will be complicated, time-consuming, or high-pressure. A Blind Spot Review is none of those things. It is a focused conversation, typically 45 to 60 minutes, with no obligation and no expectation of a particular outcome. The only prerequisite is a willingness to look honestly at what your current plan might be missing.
The most common reason people do not review their financial plan is that they do not know what to expect. Now you do. The next step is scheduling the conversation.
If you are ready to find out what your plan might be missing, a Blind Spot Review is the place to start.
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