Your Financial Base Camp, Part 3
By Mark Zembo, Wealth Management Advisor
Over the Fourth of July holiday, my extended family gathered in North Carolina for our annual reunion. We’ve been coming together for as long as I can remember, and it’s become more intentional than the usual Thanksgiving visit. These reunions have taken place in the same neighborhood for more than four decades, drawing in our entire extended family, and occasionally, close friends. We rent homes up and down the street to stay as close as possible, and while the group used to number more than 70, time has naturally pared it down. Still, I always look forward to seeing the faces that return each year.
We’ve experienced a lot of life during these decades—marriages, births, divorces, career changes, health issues and the loss of loved ones. But what stood out to me this year wasn’t the phases of life we’ve all been through. It was how I approached the trip itself. I realized I didn’t need what I once packed. Gone were the kids’ toys, sleeping bags and oversized coolers that once filled the car. In their place was a more focused preparation: a spare pair of contact lenses, an extra set of clothes, sunglasses — just enough to feel ready for the “what ifs” without carrying what no longer served me.
It dawned on me that the same idea applies to financial planning.
Last month, we talked about taking inventory — clearing out what no longer serves you and confirming that what you’re carrying still supports your journey. But before we move too far down the trail, it’s worth asking another essential question: Is the structure of your financial plan strong enough to hold when life throws something unexpected your way?
Strong financial plans aren’t built for perfection — they’re built for resilience. They can’t prevent every setback or eliminate every moment of discomfort. But when thoughtfully designed, they serve a clear purpose: to help you stay grounded, make thoughtful decisions under pressure, and adapt when the world around you shifts. Not perfectly, not painlessly — but with purpose.
Here are a few questions worth revisiting this month:
- Has your risk tolerance shifted—either due to life changes or how recent market movements made you feel?
- Are your current insurance coverages (life, disability, long-term care) still aligned with your income, assets and family needs?
- Is your investment strategy built around real-world behavior — not just numbers on a scale, but how you actually respond to uncertainty?
Sometimes it’s the small stressors — a sudden repair, a career pivot, a family event — that reveal the pressure points in your financial plan. Sometimes, it’s something bigger. But the takeaway is the same: a resilient plan isn’t built on forecasts; it’s built on flexibility and clarity.
If reviewing your plan feels overdue, that’s okay. Midyear is a natural time to evaluate where your plan is strong, and where it may need reinforcement. There’s still time to realign, repack, and rebuild — so that your foundation stays intact when it matters most.
At Elevage Partners, we help clients plan intentionally — for the milestones they can anticipate and the sharp turns they can’t immediately see. Whether that means paying off debt, strengthening retirement readiness, preparing for future healthcare needs or navigating another transition, we bring structure and clarity to what matters most.
If it’s been a while since you checked your financial base camp — or if life looks different than it did when your plan was first built — now is the perfect time to return, reassess and move forward with confidence. We’d be honored to help.