Financial Roadmap - Malee Rubinstein
Malee Rubinstein
Advisor and President of Rubinstein Financial Management shows us why your 30s and 40s is the most important time to build a financial plan.
My name is Malee Rubinstein, and I am a Financial Advisor based in Steveston Village. I have been helping clients protect, grow, and transition wealth with personalized strategies for well over 30 years here at my family-run business. I’m a mother of five and a grandma who knows firsthand about the importance of protecting family and focusing on goals for the future. I am passionate about helping families create financial plans—what I like to call “financial roadmaps”—which build and protect wealth while creating lasting financial security and freedom.
For people in their 30s and 40s, money stress is one of the top causes of anxiety. You’re juggling multiple responsibilities—career, family, mortgages, kids’ activities, aging parents, and the daily grind. While adding financial planning to your list can feel like one more big, complicated task, ignoring it usually ends up bringing ongoing stress and uncertainty.
So let’s take a moment to explore these topics:
Why financial planning is important
Why financial planning feels overwhelming
The “Core Four” areas of focus for financial stability
Family helping families, Michael (Malee’s son) and Malee are both part of the Rubinstein Financial Team
Why is financial planning important?
First, it’s about clarity. A financial plan replaces “Am I doing enough?” with peace of mind.
When you’re in your 20s, money decisions feel like trial runs. You’re experimenting with jobs, figuring out budgets, and maybe even still paying off student loans. But by the time you hit your 30s and 40s, the stakes are higher—and so are the opportunities. This is where the financial choices you make have a lasting impact on the rest of your life.
For most people, their 30s and 40s are when their careers begin to hit stride. Income is higher than in their 20s, and if managed properly, these years can set the foundation for long-term wealth. But without a plan, it’s easy to let lifestyle (the bigger house, nicer car, more vacations) swallow up the gains.
A financial plan is like a roadmap to keep you on course. You know where you’re headed, how to get there, and that you’re making the right moves along the way.
Why does financial planning feel overwhelming?
When it comes to money matters, our inner feelings and perceptions can influence whether we take healthy action or avoid doing what’s necessary. So let’s take a look at factors that might be holding you back.
Too many moving parts: Mortgages, RRSPs, TFSAs, pensions, insurance, RESP savings, debt repayment, retirement savings.
Conflicting priorities: Do you save for your kids’ education first, or top up your retirement? Pay off debt, or invest?
Fear of the unknown: Afraid of seeing the real numbers.
The good news? A financial plan doesn’t add to the chaos. It organizes it, taking the messy “all over the place” picture into a roadmap that you can follow.
The “Core Four” areas of focus for financial stability
A financial plan breaks down the big picture and turns intimidating questions into clear, step-by-step answers.
Addressing these “core four” areas will keep your process simpler and more manageable:
Protect your family first (insurance, wills)
Automate savings (monthly contributions)
Set milestones (education fund, retirement, big purchases)
Review annually and adjust
1. Protect Your Family First
Before chasing growth, secure the downside and protect what you can’t afford to lose.
Insurance: Life, disability, and critical illness coverage to shield income and future goals.
Wills & estate documents: Ensure assets transfer smoothly, kids are cared for, and your wishes are honored.
2. Automate Savings
Pay yourself first. Treat savings like a non-negotiable bill.
Set up monthly automatic contributions: TFSAs, RRSPs, RESPs, or FHSAs depending on your goals.
Automation removes emotion and the need for discipline from the equation, and money grows in the background.
3. Set Milestones
Give your money a job. Milestones turn abstract “savings” into tangible motivation.
Education fund: RESP contributions for kids.
Retirement: Target lifestyle goals, not just a dollar figure.
Big purchases: Down payments, dream vacations, or second properties.
4. Review Annually & Adjust
Life changes so your plan should too. A yearly check-in keeps the plan relevant and resilient.
Review: Insurance, savings progress, investment performance, and goals.
Adjust: Contributions, rebalance portfolios, and update your “Know Your Client” information.
With a financial plan, you will know how much you need to save, how to invest appropriately for your risk tolerance, and whether you’re on track for the lifestyle you envision.
Move ahead with confidence
With a reliable roadmap in place, you can move toward your goals with confidence—grow wealth, protect your family, and retire the way you want. Without one, you risk drifting from one decision to the next, hoping it will all somehow work out.
Hope is not a strategy. A financial plan is. Whether you’re 32 or 48, it’s never too late or too early to put one in place.
Malee and Michael reflect on why they love helping clients to make sense of their finances.
Connect with Rubinstein Financial Management
Website: https://rubinsteinfinancial.com/