Would My Mum Understand It? The Case for Clarity over Complexity…
If the answer is no, something has gone wrong.
Not because the advice is poor, not because the planning isn’t robust, definitely not because my mum’s not very bright!
…But maybe because the writer’s trying a bit too hard - the message has been lost among technical terms and intimidating language.
Who are these reports really for?
Paraplanning can be described as technical. Highly detailed. Even a bit dry.
And yes, it is technical and detailed. It should be accurate and precise. But dry? It doesn’t have to be.
Somewhere along the way, advice reports became long, wordy, and full of jargon.
Big words. Long sentences. Endless paragraphs in a sea of words.
Written to sound professional, not always to be understood.
And the irony is this: these reports are written for clients.
If a client needs a dictionary, something’s gone wrong
Clients don’t want to feel stupid. They want clarity.
This is where the trust is built: through helping clients understand, not baffling them with big words and complex concepts.
Clients want to know:
- What should I do?
- Why should I do it?
- How will it help me?
If a report can’t answer those questions clearly, it doesn’t matter how technically perfect it is.
Simple writing is harder but better
Clear writing isn’t about dumbing things down; it’s actually about having respect.
Respect for your client’s time.
Respect for their understanding.
And of course, for the advice itself.
The best reports I see:
- Use short sentences and plain English
- Break ideas into small chunks
- Say things once and say them clearly
They’re not written to impress or show off what we know. They try to explain.
There’s room for creativity in paraplanning
Paraplanning doesn’t have to be boring. I think you can be both technical and creative.
In fact, a bit of creativity can make technical ideas easier to understand.
I love a creative analogy:
A DC pension is a piggy bank, a DB is a promise from your old boss, and who could forget the IHT fruit tree?
Volatility could be mid-flight turbulence, or a cruise over choppy seas. Whatever the conditions, the destination stays the same.
These aren’t just fluffy analogies; they’re deliberate communication tools that clients can relate to.
Creativity helps clients get it. And if clients can understand it, hopefully they’ll trust it.
A few rules I live by
When I’m writing reports, I always ask myself:
- What does this actually mean?
- Can this be simplified?
- Would my mum understand this?
Short words, short sentences and short paragraphs rule! Clarity always beats clever.
As paraplanners, our job is to make the advice real and relatable (as well as technically spot-on!).
We don’t need longer reports.
We don’t need intimidating words.
And we certainly don’t need more jargon.
We need more respect, more empathy and more clarity for the reader (+ a bit more creativity!).
If a client can explain their advice to someone else, we’ve done our job properly.
And if my mum would understand it? Even better.
