Imagine a client of yours comes to you with this question: ‘I’ve just been offered a new role. It pays more. Should I take it?’
It’s tempting to treat this as a spreadsheet exercise: compare the salaries, assess the benefits, factor in tax.
But as Dr. Daniel Crosby, psychologist and Chief Behavioural Officer at Orion Advisor Solutions, reminded us on the Money:Mindshift podcast: being good with money isn’t just about the technicalities.
It’s about using the resources you have, to live the life you want. And advisers are perfectly placed to help clients think through what that really means to them – and their futures.
Taking life’s trade-offs into account
Sometimes the trade-offs are obvious when it comes to new jobs: a longer commute, more travel, less time at home. Other times they’re more subtle: less autonomy, a culture mismatch, or just an uneasy feeling after the interview. These are the emotional, lifestyle, and values-based costs that rarely show up in a cash flow model.
In my mind, the role of an adviser isn’t just to judge their client’s offer financially. But to help their client get clarity on what it is they’re really gaining, and what they could be giving up as a result.
When the technical meets the personal
Yes, you’ll run the numbers. But just as importantly, you might want to ask:
- What kind of life does this new role create for you?
- What will your week (and weekends!) look like?
- What will you have more of, and what will you have less of?
This is where a financial plan becomes, what I like to call, a human-centric life plan. A job with more income might speed up a savings goal, sure. But if it also adds stress, disconnection, or health risks – the cost may be too high. Is that cost worth it for your client?
How to guide the conversation
- Start with values
Every plan should be anchored in what matters most. Ask: ‘What’s most important to you right now?’ Maybe it’s flexibility, time with children, or space to care for ageing parents. Maybe it’s challenge and growth. The job is a vehicle – we need to know where it’s meant to go.
- Use visualisation
Help clients visualise the future. Not just their take-home pay and pension pot, but the actual life they want. Then ask: ‘Does this new role bring you closer to that vision, or take you further away?’
- Quantify non-financial costs
Time is money. So is health, rest, and headspace. Put a value on commuting time, emotional toll, and lifestyle disruption. Ask: ‘How much would you pay to have this hour back? Is it worth the salary increase?’
- Create permission to say ‘no’
Sometimes clients feel guilty turning down a big offer – like they’re letting someone down, or being irrational. Normalise the idea that more money isn’t always better. It’s about fit, not just figures.
- Model both scenarios
Show them the numbers – yes. But show them both sides. What’s the financial picture with the new job? And what does it look like if they stay put? Overlay that with qualitative insight.
At the heart of all this is your ability to ask deep, human-led questions, with curiosity and the intention to really understand your client.
The adviser’s edge
Financial planners are uniquely positioned to bridge the gap between money and wider wellbeing. Of course, you understand the technical implications of financial advice – that’s your job and what you’re great at. But I believe that you also want to know your clients’ hopes, fears, and priorities. That’s what makes you a powerful partner in their decision-making, career-related or beyond.
A final reminder
You might say this to clients already: ‘Money is a tool.’ But so is work. It should serve their life, not shape it by default. When a client asks whether to accept a job offer, they’re really asking: ‘Is this going to make my life better?’
Help them answer that. Not just with numbers, but with a deeper understanding of what you know about them and the life they want to live – both now, and in the future.