When Do You Need A Financial Advisor?
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A financial advisor can be a serious asset to any business or personal financial situation. Financial advisors are experienced in creating budgets, identifying key areas of inefficiency, and giving advice on how to improve your financial situation. Knowing when you may need a financial advisor is a little tricky, so we’ve identified some key times when you should hire one.
You Need a Financial Roadmap
Planning for your financial future (including retirement) can be challenging. There is an enormous amount of information to sift through, different accounts or savings options to consider, and much more. It can be almost impossible to navigate this environment by yourself.
A financial advisor will assist you in planning your financial future. Whether you’re saving for retirement, a home, or want to streamline your month-to-month finances to reduce expenses, an advisor knows to make your goals a reality.
Even if you’re looking to create an emergency savings fund, a financial advisor can provide you with clear, easy-to-follow directions on how to best achieve your goal. They will be responsive to your personal financial situation and ensure you make the best moves for you. Better management can help you reach goals earlier and create a plan for reducing spending and maximizing your portfolio’s efficiency.
You’re Not Much Of A Manager
Managing money can be a challenging task, especially if you’re managing a lot of it in your portfolio. If you’re not much good at management to being with, managing money can become stressful, downright frustrating, or even risky.
Managing money takes specific knowledge and experience to do successfully, and if working with finances isn’t your strong point, you may find yourself struggling to achieve an effective management technique.
Financial advisors will help you manage your money, no matter how much you’re working with. Some financial advisors do have a threshold, however, before they agree to manage certain assets. The amount varies according to the advisor, with some starting as low as $50,000 and some as high as $150,000 or more.
Be sure to account for the cost of the service and that your finances allow for such a service. There are many sites and resources that will help you do this. For example, here you can compare the best financial advisors in Austin.
You Need A Third-Party Opinion
Sometimes a third-party opinion is precisely what you need to kick it into gear. We can often become lost in our ideas, (overly) confident that we’re making the best decisions possible. A financial advisor will provide an unbiased, honest assessment of your finances.
With an unbiased opinion, you can better navigate those finances and create goals for your financial future. It’s perfectly ok to ask for assistance in managing large sums of money. It’s far too high a risk to attempt it yourself without any knowledge of markets or finances.
You’re Self-Employed
Self-employment brings with a unique sense of freedom and responsibility; as well as an individual financial situation. Taxes, monthly expenses, and time management are all handled differently when you’re self-employed.
When you’re self-employed, a financial advisor helps you better manage your money. With a financial advisor by your side, you can increase your take-home pay, navigate your taxes, and identify areas where your business can cut back on expenses. The more efficient you are as a self-employed individual, the more money you will make.
Learn more about navigating self-employment from a financial perspective by reading our article How To Separate Your Personal And Business Finances.
You’re Retiring Soon
Retiring can be an exciting prospect for working Americans. It is a time for rest, the end of hard work, and a shift to the calmness and serenity of leisure time. Planning for retirement ensures that you’re saving enough money, so you don’t have to find a job halfway through your retirement.
Retirement is best achieved with proper planning. A financial advisor can offer expert advice on how much to save or invest and also how to plan for a post-retirement budget, so your cash flow doesn’t run out during your retirement.
An advisor will factor in every financial detail—including taxes, your annual income, and more—to maximize your retirement plan. Retirement is nothing short of an investment, and as with any good investment, you need to have expert advice to make the best decisions.
It’s a good idea to hire an advisor before you’re ready to retire. The earlier you hire an advisor, the more time you’ll have to implement plans you and your advisor create. Giving yourself more time not only means investing more money but also gives you a little more wiggle room for any mistakes or miscalculations.
To read more about retirement, read our article How To Make Sure You’re Ready For Retirement.
So, Should I Hire an Advisor?
Not everyone will benefit from a financial advisor, but these five situations warrant the help of one of these experts. Investments, retirement plans, and money management can generally be challenging to navigate. With the help of an experienced advisor, you will make the right decisions with your money.
