Hiring a certified financial advisor is no longer exclusively for the wealthy and affluent. As federal resources for retirement assistance like Social Security dwindle, it’s necessary for everyone to have a financial guru to help them make the most of their finances.
Whether you need help with tax planning, wealth transfer or retirement savings — or short-term or long-term goals — it’s highly important to make sure you choose the right certified financial planner for your needs.
To help you along through the selection process, are four qualities everyone should look for when choosing the right certified financial planner:
1. Qualifications: The ideal certified financial planner is just that — certified. Ideally, they should be certified by the Certified Financial Planner Board (CFP), which sets the standards and protocol for the financial planning industry.
2. One-on-one attention: Your finances are important, and you never want to feel like your financial advisor has something better he or she could be doing instead of discussing your finances. Hire a certified financial advisor who will go over your individual situation with you and create a customized set of goals.
3. Availability: This sort of ties in to “one-on-one attention.” Your ideal certified financial planner or certified investment advisor should always have appointments available and never be overbooked. If you have an urgent financial matter that needs addressing, you should be able to meet with your certified financial planner within the next day or so. Otherwise, he or she might simply have too many clients, taking away time and attention that your finances deserve.
4. Experience: A fancy degree or certification can be impressive, but not by themselves — the best certified financial planners will have plenty of years of experience with successfully helping individuals optimize their finances. Oftentimes, financial planners will list their experience on their website — do your research!
Read this website for more information.