Making financial planning work for me: How do I read this thing?

One of the fundamental themes in some of my previous articles is that the future in unknowable, and given that truth, how many pages of analysis should your plan be? For almost anyone, the answer is 1. Spending too much time running spreadsheets of analysis that include charts and simulations quickly puts you into the camp of diminishing returns. Either for yourself, or for the professional you work with, try homing in on some key measures to track over time. These may include important things like statement of financial purpose, net worth, asset location (pre-tax, after-tax, taxable), trajectory toward goal, action items, tax rates, and cash flow allocation. You can likely add or eliminate some but keeping track of these over time will be easier to maintain and drive positive behavioral change.