Check Your Financial Planning Score ...

Answer the following eight questions, keeping track of the number of yes and no answers.

1. Do you have defined financial objectives, with numbers and time frames?

2. Do you have a written financial plan that accounts for your current assets and sets strategies for achieving your objectives?

3. If you continue your current investment program, will it provide for your desired retirement lifestyle?

4. Do you have a target investment policy (matching your investment-portfolio expectations with performance-benchmark indices and your tolerance for risk)?

5. Do you have a will, a power of attorney and a health-care directive?

6. Have you ranked your financial risks and taken steps to protect yourself against the most important ones?

7. Have you reviewed your financial objectives, financial plan, investment program, investment policy legal documents and risks within the past 12 months?

8. Are you satisfied that you have taken all appropriate actions to reduce your income tax due for the current year?

* Copied with permission, from the website of Allegheny Financial Group / Allegheny Investments, Ltd.

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If you answered no to 5 or more questions, your financial future is probably at serious risk and your control of your future is low. For your own and your family's welfare, you should contact a professional advisor now -- to analyze your situation, set objectives and plan strategies to achieve them.

If you answered yes to 4 or 5 questions, you are above average, but would benefit significantly from a review of your situation with a professional advisor and refinement of your plans within the next few months.

If you answered yes to 6 or more, your financial planning score is excellent, although within the next six months you should address with a professional advisor any questions to which you answered no.