A financial planner is a professional that you hire to help you plan your investments. Hiring a professional financial planner guarantees that you will not make mistakes when investing your hard earned money. As a matter of fact, a financial planner is hired by anyone that doesn’t want to make financial decisions on their own.
However, most people still don’t know how to utilize the services of a financial planner. Some actually continue to be DIY investors even after they have access to such a professional and end up making the same mistakes that are made by those that plan for their finances on their own. Here is a list of tips that can help you in utilizing the knowledge of a financial planner.
- Learn about Investment Products
As a layman person, it’s obvious you don’t know much about investment products. If you are like most people, you probably want to only invest in sectors and industries that you are familiar with. This lack of information can work against you because you will allow investment opportunities to pass you by. Working side by side with a financial planner will help in enlightening you on financial matters. After rubbing shoulders with a knowledgeable financial advisor Canberra, you will no longer invest blindly just because your peers are investing in a particular industry. In fact, you will become a walking investopedia without having to enroll into an economics class.
- Get Advice on Investments
This is actually the main reason for hiring a financial advisor. When you pursue investments on your own, you might end up putting your money in a product that’s more risky or one that will not earn you considerable returns. Financial advisors double as financial analysts. They are therefore able to tell which investment option will yield massive returns in the near future and those that will collapse. The good thing is that they first assess you to know more about your financial status and needs. This makes it easier for them to develop customized solutions for every individual.
- Involve the Advisor when Screening Lenders
Most people don’t know how to select a lender when they need funding. If you are already working with a financial planner, he can assist you in digging deep into the fine details of the conditions that are tabled by various lenders. And that’s not all. The financial planner will help you in comparing the terms and select the one that’s ideal for you. This guarantees that you don’t get short changed when negotiating for credit. Even if your credit score looks terrible, the planner will work round the clock to ensure that you get funding from a bad credit lender.
- Implement the Ideas Offered
The investment ideas that are offered by a financial planner can only be useful when you implement them. You must therefore be committed in implementing the ideas you get from a financial advisor. If you hesitate for too long, you may not achieve the same results as anticipated earlier. For instance, when you are asked to start saving for retirement early to take advantage of compounding, you might miss on your target if you start saving after several years. Similarly, if a certain stock has declined and you are advised to buy it right away, any delay will have you buy the same product for more due to changes in the market.
- Meet with the Advisor Regularly
Most people don’t see the need of meeting with their advisor on a regular basis. In fact, having face to face meetings with such a professional is very important. This is because the world of finance is very dynamic, meaning that investors have to take drastic measures to protect their interests every now and then. By meeting him at least twice a month, he can alert you about emerging trends that you should take advantage of and also track the progress of investments that are already in place.