The Value of an Advisor

"The Value of an Advisor" would normally be a self-serving article telling the reader why they should be doing business with the author. And it would be skipped by many readers, (I would skip reading it myself.) But this isn’t written by me. These are exerpts from a seminar by the wonderful people at Fidelity Investments, the pioneers of do-it-yourself investing. They discovered something, The Value of an Advisor. Enjoy... (JJR)

Have you defined your financial and retirement goals?

Have you developed a strategy to achieve these goals?

Have you recently reviewed this strategy?

Are you taking advantage of all the investment opportunities available to you?

Are you or have you considered using the services of a financial advisor?

Many of us like to imagine a long, comfortable, active retirement. The reality is it just won’t happen without a plan. The hardest thing about creating a financial/retirement investment plan is getting started. And no wonder. There are big decisions to be made that can affect our lives for years to come. The process can be stressful. It can be frustrating. But it is vitally important. Fortunately, a professional financial advisor can help you make creating a plan much easier. It’s an advisor’s job to understand how you feel and to offer the kind of information you need to make the best possible choices.

There are literally thousands of investments to chose from. But believe it or not, the specific ones you choose may not be the most important decision you make. Because financial planning is really about:

Developing an investment strategy

Monitoring your strategy over time

Making sure your retirement plan fits in with your overall financial plan

Remember: Retirement planning is an active, ongoing process. So, even if you have a plan in place, it’s essential that you regularly review it with the help of an advisor.

These days, it seems that everywhere you turn, you run into a financial expert. From the Internet sites to financial publications, junk mail to conversations at the water-cooler, everyone thinks they know what’s hot and what’s not. It’s information overload. And that won’t help you make sound financial decisions. Instead, turn to someone who has the knowledge, the expertise, and the resources to give you timely, objective information – a financial advisor.

Type in the key word about retirement planning onto an Internet search engine. Hit search. Count the number of hits you get. (100? 1000?) Then, call your financial advisor. Ask your question. You’ll get one answer – the one you need, tailored to your situation.

You may be a sophisticated investor. You may be just starting out. Whatever kind of investor you are, a financial advisor has the experience to help you define your goals, sort through the various choices, and craft a flexible financial strategy. In addition, an advisor will help you understand your tolerance for risk and help you make the appropriate allocation of your investment dollars among conservative and aggressive investments.