Is it better to use a financial advisor or do it yourself?
Should you use a financial advisor or do it yourself? The answer is clear: you are the best person to manage your finances. Even if you do choose to hire a financial advisor, you NEED to make sure that you are aware of what is going on, how your money is being invested, and what type of fees you are paying.
Deciding to work with a financial advisor is a personal choice. There is no set litmus test for whether you need one. If you have investable assets, personal and financial goals, or questions about your finances, you may want to hire a financial advisor.
Among the pros of using a financial advisor are better returns, a holistic financial plan, more diversification, tax planning and estate planning. Among the possible cons are fees and trust issues.
For this reason, it might be better to go to an independent financial adviser who will be able to look at products from the whole of the market. If a financial adviser can't find a product to suit your needs, they must refer you to another adviser who can help you. If they don't do this, you may be able to complain.
However, the effectiveness of this model depends on your specific needs and circ*mstances. If you require a high level of personalized service and direct management of your investments, a traditional human advisor might be better suited to your needs.
But, if you're already working with an advisor, the simplest way to determine whether a 1% fee is reasonable may be to look at what they've helped you accomplish. For example, if they've consistently helped you to earn a 12% return in your portfolio for five years running, then 1% may be a bargain.
Generally, having between $50,000 and $500,000 of liquid assets to invest can be a good point to start looking at hiring a financial advisor. Some advisors have minimum asset thresholds. This could be a relatively low figure, like $25,000, but it could $500,000, $1 million or even more.
Costs: Financial advisors cost money, and not all charge you in the same way. Some charge a percentage of your total portfolio per year. Others charge you an ongoing annual fee, some charge a one-off service fee, while the investment broker pays others via commissions.
Studies have shown that financial advisors have the potential to add, on average, between 1.5% and 4% to your portfolio above what the average person is able to get as a return on their own.
Most of my research has shown people saying about 1% is normal. Answer: From a regulatory perspective, it's usually prohibited to ever charge more than 2%, so it's common to see fees range from as low as 0.25% all the way up to 2%, says certified financial planner Taylor Jessee at Impact Financial.
What are the disadvantages of an independent financial advisor?
Pros of working with an independent adviser | Cons of working with an independent adviser |
---|---|
May be able to spend more time with clients | Experience levels and quality can vary widely |
Likely will use a third party custodian to hold your money | May be costly |
There are definite risks involved in getting too friendly with a financial advisor, or hiring a friend who is a financial advisor. "It's a good idea for everyone to take a more proactive approach with their own investments," says Vic Patel, a professional trader and founder of Forex Training Group.
- Top financial advisor firms.
- Vanguard.
- Charles Schwab.
- Fidelity Investments.
- Facet.
- J.P. Morgan Private Client Advisor.
- Edward Jones.
- Alternative option: Robo-advisors.
Mismatched investment philosophy: Your financial advisor should align with your investment goals and risk tolerance. For example, if you're risk-averse and your advisor is pushing high-risk investments without a clear explanation, you're likely better off moving on.
It's recommended that you use a fiduciary financial advisor in most scenarios. Not only are they usually more affordable, they are legally and federally held to high ethical standards. Their role, by nature, is designed to serve your best interest and maximize your financial benefit and not their own.
Source: 2021 Fidelity Investor Insights Study. Furthermore, industry studies estimate that professional financial advice can add between 1.5% and 4% to portfolio returns over the long term, depending on the time period and how returns are calculated.
Your adviser's fees will be based on many things: what advice you need, how much time it will take, and the size of the assets involved. Advisers often charge between 1% and 2% of the asset in question (e.g. a pension pot), with lower percentages being charged for larger assets.
Billable Assets | Fee Schedule |
---|---|
First $1 million | 0.80% |
Next $1 million (more than $1M up to $2M) | 0.75% |
Next $3 million (more than $2M up to $5M) | 0.70% |
Assets over $5 million | 0.30% |
Key takeaway: It's no coincidence that most American millionaires use a financial advisor.
The wealthy also trust and work with financial advisors at a far greater rate. The study found that 70% of millionaires versus 37% of the general population work with a financial advisor.
When should you talk to a financial advisor?
When should I get a financial advisor? Financial advisors become most helpful when your financial life becomes complex. That might be when you get married, have children, get divorced, are managing many competing debts, come into an unexpected windfall or are navigating end-of-life financial decisions.
It's common for advisors to make you feel uncertain about your ability to invest without them and to make you fearful of looking at other options. It's a way of keeping you dependent so they don't lose work. Someone once tried the “fear approach” with us by comparing a financial advisor to a doctor.
Poor Prospecting Strategies
And this is where many advisors get it wrong. They spend too many resources on strategies like cold calling and buying a lead list, and they try every new tool that comes along — but they never actually get it. They keep doing this until they end up frustrated and quit.
A financial advisor helps people create long-term strategies for building wealth and managing risk. They can help you track, manage and balance your investment portfolio. They can also provide helpful advice on lots of other financial issues and decisions.
That position will allow other advisors in the area to go after your clients and pick them off with their marketing efforts. 5. The Statistics: 80-90% of financial advisors fail and close their firm within the first three years of business. This means only 10-20% of financial advisors are ultimately successful.
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