What is the best question you can ask of a financial advisor?
In your initial meeting, ask questions about the types of services they provide, their investment philosophy, how much they charge, whether they have a fiduciary duty, what investment benchmarks they use, whether they offer robo-advisor services or access to new technologies, what custodian they use, whether you can ...
- How will we work together? ...
- How will you communicate with me, and how often? ...
- What services do you provide? ...
- What's your investment philosophy? ...
- How will you track my investment performance? ...
- What professional experience do you have? ...
- What resources will I have when working with you?
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?"
- Your values about money and your vision for your future.
- What life events are happening or could potentially happen.
- Short- and long-term life and financial goals.
- Investment questions.
- Your current financial situation.
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. debts, including mortgages, loans and credit card debt.
- "I offer a guaranteed rate of return."
- "Performance is the only thing that matters."
- "This investment product is risk-free. ...
- "Don't worry about how you're invested. ...
- "I know my pay structure is confusing; just trust me that it's fair."
Generally, having between $50,000 and $500,000 of liquid assets to invest can be a good point to start looking at hiring a financial advisor. Some advisors have minimum asset thresholds. This could be a relatively low figure, like $25,000, but it could $500,000, $1 million or even more.
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 work with you. ...
- They take a holistic view of your finances. ...
- They develop and customize your investment strategy. ...
- They have the support of an investment team. ...
- There is a lack of transparency.
They can estimate your future financial needs and plan ways to stretch your retirement savings. They can also advise you on when to start tapping into Social Security and using the money in your retirement accounts so you can avoid any nasty penalties.
What to do before going to a financial advisor?
Make sure the advisor understands what your financial goals are. Ask what the advisor charges and what you will get in return. Be prepared to round up documents, including recent pay stubs, retirement plan account statements, investment accounts, and cash balances.
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.
You may be asked to provide financial documents such as: Bank statements. Investment statements. Insurance policies.
- CHOOSE SERVICES THAT MEET YOUR NEEDS. Before signing on with anyone, make sure you know exactly what you're getting. ...
- UNDERSTAND COMPENSATION. ...
- EVALUATE FIRM AFFILIATIONS. ...
- UNDERSTAND LEGAL STANDARDS. ...
- REVIEW CREDENTIALS. ...
- DO A BACKGROUND CHECK. ...
- TRUST YOUR INTUITION.
The type of financial advice you require will determine the fee that financial advisors will charge. A comprehensive financial plan would typically start at around $3,300, while simple, one-off advice can be accessed from as little as $400.
Generally speaking, financial planners address and keep tabs on multiple areas of their clients' finances. They develop long-term, strategic plans in these areas and update them on a regular basis over the years. Financial advisors tend to focus on specific transactions and short-term situations.
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.
Famous financial advisors became household names for a variety of reasons. Benjamin Graham and Warren Buffet are among the most common traditional financial advisors that relied heavily on value investing. Several financial advisors such as Dave Ramsey and Robert Kiyosaki are most known for their print publications.
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.
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.
Should I use a financial advisor or do it myself?
Those who use financial advisors typically get higher returns and more integrated planning, including tax management, retirement planning and estate planning. Self-investors, on the other hand, save on advisor fees and get the self-satisfaction of learning about investing and making their own decisions.
While 1.5% is on the higher end for financial advisor services, if that's what it takes to get the returns you want then it's not overpaying, so to speak. Staying around 1% for your fee may be standard but it certainly isn't the high end. You need to decide what you're willing to pay for what you're receiving.
Poor performance, high fees, strained communication and stagnant advice are among the reasons to look for a new advisor.
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. Make sure your financial adviser promises to respond to your changing needs and goals.
But these professionals are only as good as the service they provide their clients. If your financial advisor isn't paying enough attention to you, isn't listening to you, or is confusing you, it may be time to call it quits and find a new advisor who is willing to go the extra mile to keep you as a client.