What information should I share with my financial advisor?
They will want to know about aspects across different parts of your life—like how many kids you have (or want to have), what you and your spouse do for a living, what your goals are and what you're doing with your money right now.
Be prepared to talk about your income, regular expenses and monthly cash flow. Provide a summary of your debt—including your mortgage, credit cards, student loans, car loans and other debt—and the interest rates and terms on the loans. Provide your insurance and estate-planning documents.
An adviser will need information about your: personal situation, such as your age, where you work and whether you're in a relationship. assets, such as your home, savings, super, car, shares and other investments.
Whomever you choose to work with may eventually want information on your income, investments, and other assets, as well as your current debts, insurance, and tax situation. This article will discuss all of the documents you might need. Still, perhaps more important than any documents are your goals and expectations.
You should be candid about your level of investing experience, overall financial situation, and financial goals. You should also feel comfortable asking as many questions as you'd like. It's important you choose a Financial Advisor who listens to your concerns, understands your financial needs, and values your input.
The 80/20 rule retirement emphasizes the importance of focusing on actions that yield the most significant results. When planning for retirement, concentrate on the 20% of your efforts that will have the greatest impact on your financial future.
You may be asked to provide financial documents such as: Bank statements. Investment statements. Insurance policies.
It might come as a surprise, but your financial professional—whether they're a banker, planner or advisor—wants to know more about you than how much money you can invest. They can best help you achieve your goals when they know more about your job, your family and your passions.
They are required by law to ask for certain things, including your name, Social Security and telephone number, date of birth, employment status, and annual income.
Graduating college, getting married, expanding your family and starting a business are some major life events that might cause you to reevaluate your financial situation. A financial advisor can help you manage these life events while making sure you get or stay on track.
When should you talk to a financial advisor?
Experts say it makes sense to hire a financial advisor in the following circ*mstances: You don't have the time or inclination to manage your finances. You experience a major life event, such as a marriage, divorce, loss of a spouse, birth of a child, relocation or change in your employment status.
#1: “I'm a financial planner passionate about serving individuals, families & business owners to help them overcome their money stressors, make better financial decisions, and save more towards their financial goals. My clients have regular review meetings with me to ensure they are on track to meet their goals.
7. Seek Professional Finance Advice. Of high-net-worth individuals, 70 percent work with a financial advisor.
While the typical annual financial advisor fee is thought to be 1%, according to a 2023 study by Advisory HQ, the average financial advisor fee is 0.59% to 1.18% per year. However, rates typically decrease the more money you invest with them.
At least 20% of your income should go towards savings. Meanwhile, another 50% (maximum) should go toward necessities, while 30% goes toward discretionary items. This is called the 50/30/20 rule of thumb, and it provides a quick and easy way for you to budget your money.
Your adviser probably will not pull a credit report on you and other family members, but the adviser almost certainly will assess your debt and paint an accurate personal financial picture for you.
Red flags on bank statements for mortgage qualification include large unexplained deposits, frequent overdrafts, irregular transactions, excessive debt payments, undisclosed liabilities, and inconsistent income deposits, which prompt lenders to scrutinize the borrower's financial stability and may require further ...
"No one is perfect, people do make mistakes, your planner is not there to judge you but to help you, and that — as with your doctor — it's important to face and move past your self-consciousness about this, or you risk giving your planner incomplete information that makes it impossible to provide a proper ...
Red Flag #1: They're not a fiduciary.
You be surprised to learn that not all financial advisors act in their clients' best interest. In fact, only financial advisors that hold themselves to a fiduciary standard of care must legally put your interests ahead of theirs.
With your money at stake, doing some due diligence on your advisor, friend or not, is always a good idea. "Certainly, it's important to have an advisor you can trust, but you still want to keep the relationship professional," Notchick adds.
What are the questions financial advisors hear most often?
Savvy financial advising clients will have a lot of questions for their advisors, but two of the most common ones are "are you a fiduciary?" and "how do you get paid?"
You should meet with your advisor at least once a year to reassess basics like budget, taxes and investment performance. This is the time to discuss whether you feel you are on the right track, and if there is something you could be doing better to increase your net worth in the coming 12 months.
Usually, advisors that charge a percentage will want to work with clients that have a minimum portfolio of about $100,000. This makes it worth their time and will allow them to make about $1,000 to 2,000 a year.
A good advisor always starts by identifying your goals — even your hopes and dreams — and then turns that understanding into a personalized financial strategy that can help you make those dreams come true.
Financial advisors are most concerned about business development. Nearly 80% cite the challenge of finding “ideal” clients (Exhibit 1). While an “ideal” client will vary among financial advisors, sourcing them instead of less preferred clients is a big deal.
