Halo Conversation Starters [Getting Started]

Starting conversations about longevity can be insightful and essential for effective financial planning. "Halo Conversation Starters" is a comprehensive guide designed to help advisors initiate meaningful discussions about longevity using the Halo framework. This guide provides a range of conversation starters covering various aspects of personal finance, including Family Patterns, Financial Obstacles, Family Rules, Family Caregiving, Inclusive Family Planning, Life Stages and Lifestyle, Family Health History, Managing Healthcare Costs, and Retirement Savings. By exploring thought-provoking questions, such as understanding family health history or envisioning retirement goals, this guide empowers advisors to engage their clients in valuable conversations about their long-term financial well-being. Whether discussing strategies to manage healthcare costs or planning for retirement, these conversation starters foster a deeper understanding of individuals' unique circumstances and help shape personalized financial plans for a fulfilling future.

Conversation starters

FAMILY CAREGIVING - Conversation Starters

• Have you arranged for a general power of attorney and a durable power of attorney for your healthcare?

• Have you thought about who your financial advocate would be?

• Have you thought about where you want to live as a disease progresses?

• How is your stress level lately? Do you feel like you can manage your stress?

• Have you considered assisted living or a nursing home for when a disease progresses?

• Have you considered who could help you with your medications if you could no longer do it yourself?

• Is your home (or your parents) accessible for someone with decreased mobility, even if their mobility is okay now?

• Are you ready to provide personal care and help with toileting, showering, and grooming if your parents need help?

INCLUSIVE FAMILY PLANNING - Conversation Starters

• How are your parents doing?

• Do you think relatives might need financial support in the future?

• Has your family had "The Talk" about who will step in when your parents/grandparents can no longer drive?

• How important is it for you to stay home if you or your spouse needs long-term care?

• Does your family know what you would want should you have a serious health problem and can't speak for yourself?

• How are you assisting your parents with their finances?

• Have you discussed the end of life plan openly with them and feel ready to implement a plan to support those plans?

• How are you assisting your parents with their finances?

• What are your housing preferences should you survive your spouse?

• How important is it for you to stay home if you or your spouse needs long-term care?

LIFE STAGES AND LIFESTYLE - Conversation Starters

• Do you regularly practice self care?

• Have you completed anything from your bucket list lately?

• What types of exercise do you enjoy?

• Do you feel like you get enough exercise each week?

• What do you do to relax?

• Do you feel like you get enough sleep regularly?

• Are you planning on having any children?

• Are you planning on getting married in the near future?

• Would you like to help pay for your kids' college expenses?

• Would you like to help pay for your kids' wedding expenses?

• If divorced, have you ever considered getting remarried? 

• If married, have you considered what you would do if you lost your spouse?

FAMILY HEALTH HISTORY - Conversation Starters

• Have you ever done a genealogy search on your family history?

• Is there a history of long-term illnesses in your family, such as Alzheimer's, cancer, Type 2 Diabetes, stroke or heart disease?

• What traits run in your family: health, personality, and lifestyle?

• How would you describe your extended family’s lifestyle?

• Did anyone in your extended family get breast cancer before the age of 40?

• Have you thought about doing an in-home DNA test?

• Does anyone in your extended family have Type 2 Diabetes?

• Have your relatives talked about doing DNA testing?

• How many people in your family are considered overweight?

• How prevalent is dementia in your family?

MANAGING HEALTHCARE COSTS - Conversation Starters

• What strategies are you taking to prevent increased healthcare costs in the future?

• When was the last time you reviewed your health insurance benefits?

• Where will the money come from to pay for your future healthcare expenses?

• What options have you considered for paying your future healthcare costs?

• Do you have a tax accountant helping you maximize your healthcare related tax deductions?

• Have you ever brainstormed “worst-case scenarios” as a method for planning for future health expenses?

• Do you want to spend all of your money or leave an inheritance?

• What do you have in place to cover your medical expenses not covered by Medicare?

• Have you looked into long-term care insurance as a way to cover expenses should you experience dementia?

• If you are taking any specialty drugs, have you looked at whether Medicaid will cover them in your retirement?

RETIREMENT SAVINGS - Conversation Starters

• What kind of lifestyle do you hope to maintain during your retirement?

• When you imagine retirement, where are you, and what are you doing?

• How long do you see yourself working?

• What would you absolutely want as a part of your retirement years?

• Have you included out-of-pocket medical expenses as part of your savings plan?

• How much of a priority is it to you to save for your retirement expenses?

• Have you set up a trust for the distribution of your property?

• Is your will up to date?

• What does being retired mean to you?

• What are your travel plans?

Further conversation starters

Family Patterns

• How did your parents handle money?

• Was one person in charge of the finances more than another?

• How did your grandparents handle money in their relationships?

• Have any historical events (e.g., the recent recession, the Great Depression) affected how your parents/grandparents/etc. handled finances?

Financial Obstacles

• What kind of financial difficulties have occurred in your family?

• Have some financial problems occurred more frequently in your family than others?

• What difficulties do you feel have affected you the most?

• How have you grown/been held back by the financial difficulties your family has faced?

• What in your family financial history has affected your use of finances the most?

Family Rules

• What are the “messages” members of your family taught you about finances?

• What were the family “rules” about money?