Financial Advice – Where is the Value?

When I suggest the value of hiring a financial planner to the public, I am often met with the response “I don’t want to pay someone else to manage my life savings” or “I don’t want someone to sell me an annuity.” Those responses are entirely valid, as the financial services industry has a long history of utilizing these compensation models.

Fortunately, there is a way to receive personalized financial advice without handing over your life savings or being sold an investment product. I’ll explain how, but first, let’s dig into the lingo a little.

Are all ‘Financial Advisors” the same?

The title “financial advisor” is general and not a regulated term. Think of it like seeing the phrase “all-natural” or “fresh” on your food products, as opposed to “Certified Organic.” The financial services industry has its slew of titles – wealth manager, money coach, financial consultant, financial planner, investment advisor, financial analyst, and so on. Unfortunately, these titles don’t have any weight or standardization as we see in the medical, law, and tax professions. If we require our dentists to be licensed, shouldn’t we hold our ‘financial advisors’ to similar standards? After all, they do advise people about their entire life savings! It is essential to know which professionals are regulated and required to have your best interest in mind when providing personalized financial advice.

So how do I know if a ‘financial advisor’ is regulated or licensed?

Before working with any advisor, confirm their professional experience, examinations, disclosures, and licenses; use FINRA’s BrokerCheck to look up the advisors in your area. When you find an advisor profile, you will notice one or more of the following identifiers:

Brokers are held to the ‘Suitability’ standard of care, meaning they are required to act in the best interest of his/her company, and the advice & recommendations they provide need to be ‘suitable’ for the client.

Imagine going to a Ford dealership. After you describe your dream car to the salesman, they will likely recommend – you guessed it, a Ford! There is an inherent conflict of interest because their advice and compensation are limited to the company product sales. A Ford car may be the best choice for you, but it is difficult to know for sure.

Investment Advisers are held to the highest ‘Fiduciary’ standard of care, meaning they are required to act in the best interest of the client, and the advice & recommendations they provide must avoid conflicts of interest for personal or company gain.

Now imagine hiring a mechanic to give you advice on which car to buy. After you describe your dream car, they suggest a list of options across multiple makes and models, based on their experience seeing different cars roll in every day. The mechanic isn’t employed or compensated by any auto manufacturers, so they are more likely to see the car’s purest form of value and suggest the best car option for your specific needs. Do you want to fit the car, or do you want the car to fit you?

What if I only need financial ADVICE, and don’t want wealth management?

Thankfully there is a way to receive personalized financial advice without the expectation for your investments to be professionally managed or sold by a financial advisor. Financial planning can be offered as advice-only, meaning you only pay for the advice on a one-time or ongoing basis. The professional I believe is best suited to provide holistic advice is a fee-only, fiduciary financial planner. This person should be a licensed Investment Adviser (notice the E in adviser) and also have at least the CFP® CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ designation. This means they have completed rigorous education, exam, experience, and ethics requirements to show they have a base understanding of numerous financial topics and how they interact.

Here is a list of service topics you should expect your financial planner to understand:

When does investment management make sense?

You should consider having someone assist in managing your investments if you don’t have the time, temperament, or talent to manage your own financial landscape successfully.

Time: Do you have the time to objectively analyze and rebalance your accounts, research investment options, and look over your statements regularly?

Temperament: Do you have the objective discipline to align your risk tolerance with your risk capacity and not divert from your long-term investment plan during times of short-term market volatility?

Talent: Do you have the knowledge required to create a time-sensitive investment plan, analyze and understand your investment vehicles & securities, make trading/distribution decisions with tax efficiency in mind, and view your unique financial components together?

I hope this summary provides clarity and is carefully considered IF you decide to hire a professional to assist along your financial independence journey.