In financial planning, having a deep understanding of where you've been and where you want to go are essential to having the right plan in place for you to fully succeed. Unfortunately, financial matters can be complex and basic clarity hard to find. I developed my "Check Six Client Discovery System," a series of surveys and interview questions to better understand a client's unique situation. This is a systematic, documented method for helping us shed light on complicated and vague issues, turning them into well-defined, confident answers. "Check six!" is an aviation term, meaning to visually clear the airspace behind you, increasing your overall situational awareness and determining what needs to be done and in what order. Sound familiar? It's exactly how financial planning should proceed. Here are the six steps and unique surveys and interview questions in the process: Biographical History Vision Values Goals and Expectations Mission Statement Risks and Concerns