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Avoid These Common Mistakes When Choosing a Financial Planner

By Trilogy Financial
February 20, 2024
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Introduction:

 

Selecting a qualified financial planner is crucial for securing a robust financial future. A proficient planner, like those at Trilogy Financial, can create a financial plan tailored to your unique needs to help you reach your goals.  Yet, a staggering 74% of Americans engage in financial planning without professional guidance, revealing a potential gap in making informed choices​2​.

 

Advisor meeting clients.

 

Mistake 1: Overlooking Qualifications

 

 

Chart quantifying the benefit of a financial planner.

 

  • Stat: Smart financial planning can yield 1.5% more in annual average returns, underlining the importance of qualified guidance​3​.
  • Tip: When choosing an advisor ensure  your planner holds pertinent certifications and showcases a robust track record of expertise.
  1. What are pertinent certifications for a financial planner?Pertinent certifications include the Certified Financial Planner (CFP), Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), and Certified Public Accountant (CPA) designations. These certifications indicate a high level of expertise and adherence to industry standards.
  2. How can I verify a financial planner's certifications?You can verify a planner's certifications by checking the databases of certifying bodies like the CFP Board or the CFA Institute. Additionally, you can ask the planner for proof of certification.
  3. What constitutes a robust track record of expertise?A strong track record includes many years of experience, successful financial planning, happy clients, and industry recognition or awards.
  4. How can I assess a financial planner’s track record?You can assess a planner’s track record by reviewing client testimonials, checking for any industry awards or recognitions, and asking for references. Additionally, verifying their work history and experience in the field can provide insights into their expertise.

 

 

 

Mistake 2: Neglecting Fee Structures

 

  • Stat: According to a 2019 Financial Trust Survey, “Nearly half of Americans (48%) incorrectly believe all financial advisers have a legal obligation to act in clients’ best interests.”4.
  • Tip: Understand the fee structures and ensure transparency in your financial engagements if you chose to work with a financial advisor.
  1. What are common fee structures in financial planning?Common fee structures include fee-only (fixed, hourly, or percentage of assets managed), commission-based, and fee-based (a combination of fees and commissions).
  2. How can I ensure transparency in fee structures?Ask your financial planner for a clear, written explanation of all fees and charges, including any potential third-party fees, before engaging their services.
  3. What is the difference between fee-only and fee-based financial planners?Fee-only planners charge a flat fee, hourly rate, or percentage of assets managed, and do not receive commissions from selling financial products. Fee-based planners, on the other hand, may charge fees and also receive commissions, which could potentially lead to conflicts of interest.
  4. How do commissions affect the advice I receive?Commissions could potentially create a conflict of interest if a financial planner is incentivized to recommend certain products that earn them commissions, rather than what's in your best interest.

 

 

 

Mistake 3: Disregarding a Personalized Approach

 

 

Advisor providing a personalized approach to financial planning

 

  • Stat:  A Bankrate 2019 survey shows that 44% of individuals with a personal finance plan save more for retirement and 43% save 50% more per month.​5​
  • Tip: When hiring a financial advisor opt for financial planners like those at Trilogy Financial, who prioritize a personalized approach to meet your unique financial objectives​​.
  1. What does a personalized approach in financial planning entail?A personalized approach means that the financial planner takes the time to understand your individual financial circumstances, goals, risk tolerance, and future aspirations to craft a strategy tailored to meet your unique needs.
  2. Why is a personalized approach important in financial planning?A personalized approach ensures that your financial plan is aligned with your goals and circumstances, which can lead to better financial outcomes and satisfaction over time.
  3. What are some examples of unique financial objectives that would benefit from a personalized approach?Unique financial objectives could include planning for early retirement, saving for a child's education, managing a large inheritance, or preparing for a significant life change like marriage or starting a business.
  4. How does a personalized approach compare to a one-size-fits-all approach in financial planning?A personalized approach provides tailored advice and strategies based on your individual circumstances, which can lead to more effective financial planning and better outcomes compared to a one-size-fits-all approach that may not align with your personal goals and risk tolerance.

 

 

Mistake 4: Ignoring a Comprehensive Service Offering

 

 

Chart showing 90% of people say financial planning helped them achieve their saving goals.

 

 

  • Stat: A whopping 90% of individuals achieved their savings goals owing to comprehensive personal finance plans, emphasizing the necessity of a holistic service offering​ 6​.
  • Tip: Choose a planner offering a spectrum of services including retirement planning, estate planning, and risk management.
  1. Why is it important for a financial planner to offer a variety of services?A variety of services allows for a holistic approach to financial management, ensuring that all aspects of your financial life are considered and managed in a coordinated manner. This might include mutual funds, tax planning, and more.
  2. What is retirement planning, and why is it crucial?Retirement planning involves preparing for life after you stop working, which includes saving, investing, and making other financial arrangements to ensure a comfortable living post-retirement.
  3. What does estate planning entail?Estate planning involves the management and disposal of an individual's estate during their life and at and after death, while minimizing gift, estate, generation skipping transfer, and income tax.
  4. What is risk management in the context of financial planning?Risk management in financial planning refers to the identification, assessment, and strategizing to mitigate or manage financial risks that could negatively impact your financial situation.

 

 

Mistake 5: Underestimating Continuous Communication

 

 

  • Stat: Clients report higher satisfaction levels with higher frequencies of investment-related educational communications and scheduled meetings, underscoring the importance of continuous communication​ 7​.
  • Tip: Ensure your financial planner maintains open channels of communication, keeping you informed and engaged throughout your financial journey.
  1. How can I ensure that my financial planner maintains open channels of communication?
    You can set expectations for communication upfront, such as preferred methods of communication and frequency of updates. It's also helpful to choose a planner who is responsive and willing to engage in regular discussions about your financial plan.
  2. Why is communication important in financial planning?
    Communication is crucial to ensure that you and your financial planner are on the same page regarding your financial goals, risk tolerance, and any changes in your financial circumstances. It also helps in building trust and understanding throughout the financial planning process.
  3. What are some red flags regarding communication with a financial planner?
    Red flags could include lack of responsiveness, unwillingness to answer your questions, failure to provide clear explanations, or not initiating regular reviews and updates as agreed upon.
  4. How can effective communication with a financial planner impact my financial journey?
    Effective communication can lead to better understanding, trust, and alignment between you and your planner, which in turn can result in a more effective financial plan and a more satisfying financial journey.

 

 

 

Conclusion:

 

Avoiding these common pitfalls when choosing a financial planner can significantly steer your financial voyage towards success. Engaging with a reputable firm like Trilogy Financial not only helps sidestep these mistakes but also ensures a tailored, client-centric approach delivered by qualified professionals, fostering transparent communication throughout your financial journey​1​.

 

 

 

 

 

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Life Planning Advice

When Your Financial Dreams Get in the Way of Your Financial Goals

By
David McDonough
July 2, 2019

Words are power, and each word has its own weight and energy. Words have inspired people to stand up for what they believe in or hang their head down in defeat. Therefore, choosing the right words to describe that which you want to manifest is very important.

For example, when speaking of aspirations for the future, there are those who use the words dreams and goals interchangeably. However, they ae distinctively different in definition and performance. A dream is boundless, fueled by your passion and imagination. However, it is akin to fantasy, with no immediate call to bring it to life. When someone tells me they dream of owning a sports car or starting their own business, I know most of the work to make that dream a reality hasn’t taken place and probably won’t for the foreseeable future.

A goal, on the other hand, is the mapwork to that dream, concrete and behavior-driven. When you have a goal, you have markers, measurements and steps to get to the destination. Setting the right goals, especially when it pertains to financial goals, can have a significant effect on how and when you achieve them. In fact, a guide to good goal-setting has long been to make it S.M.A.R.T.1:

Specific: if we are truly making a map towards our goals, telling ourselves to go in a general direction or for an undefined distance is most likely only going to get us lost. Steps towards our dreams have to be detailed and specific.

Measurable: When a goal is measurable, there is a way to track your progress to stay motivated or identify issues that may need problem-solving.

Attainable: It is admirable to be striving for something grand and lofty. However, it’s imperative that we have feasible goals that we can accomplish to keep us motivated and actually accomplish said goal.

Relevant: Having impressive goals are fine and dandy, but if they don’t move you closer to your overall goals or work against other goals you may have, it may be time to rethink them.

Time Bound: Once something has been stated as a goal, the stop watch has started. There is an expectation of completion, which is necessary to keep us moving forward towards that goal. It may not get completed in the expected timeframe, but just by having a deadline, we can stay accountable.

Based on this description of a S.M.A.R.T., you can see that there is a difference between, “I’m going to start saving money for a house,” and “I’m going to put 15% of my paycheck into a savings account specifically designated for my eventual down payment, and I should have enough saved after 3 years.” One expresses a desire while the other one lays out a concrete plan to achieve the goal.

If one seems to be fueling the other, how can a dream inhibit a goal? Well, one way is when your lifestyle fits with your dream rather than your goals. To achieve many financial goals like saving for retirement or buying a home, one needs to save and stick to a budget. However, if you fail to save and incrementally work towards the goals, it will take longer and longer to see results. Worse is if you choose to skip the incremental steps and live your dreamer’s lifestyle by using credit cards. The debt you accumulate will take you farther and farther from your goals and possible put you in an unfortunate and stressful predicament.

Sometimes when we haven’t developed a goal for a dream, it’s vagueness can work against an already established goal. Perhaps a good friend asks you to go into business with them. If you choose to pour funds into this new endeavor without any parameters, you may find yourself taking funds away from saving for retirement or depleting savings you already had. Of course, if you had outlined your goal on how to contribute to your friend’s business, with specific and timely parameters, the situation could be completely different.

Please understand that I’m not asking you to stop dreaming. In fact, quite the opposite. I happen wake up every day saying, “Dream Big! Work Hard! Laugh often!” I sign letters and thank you notes and end employee meetings with those very words. Dreaming is important.

So please know I want you to dream big and bold. At the same time, I want you to buckle down and create some S.M.A.R.T. goals to propel you closer to your dreams.

https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/smart-goals.htm

The opinions voiced in this material are for general information only and are not intended to provide specific advice or recommendations for any individual.

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Life Planning Advice

College – The Next Chapter: The Selection Process

By
David McDonough
May 31, 2019

It’s graduation season, and there’s an excitement in the air about starting a new chapter. Mixed in with this excitement is an element of stress to make the right decisions: decisions on how things should be done, when they should be done and where they should be done. All these decisions are common, but they often distract from the purpose of what comes after high school.

We need to remember that higher education has a purpose. It’s more than an experience. The purpose of a college degree is employment. It is an investment, and as with any other investment, you should be calculating the return on that investment.  Spending $100,000 for a degree that secures a job with an annual salary of $40,000 is not the best rate of return.

There are plenty of creative ways to get a great college education without breaking the bank. Parents can start a 529 plan, the earlier the better, to help cover costs. Students can begin their higher education at a community college or secure college credit via Advance Placement (AP) exams. Additionally, students need to be sure that the field they are spending their time and energy on is going to reciprocate by providing solid career opportunities.

Making the wrong decision is not simply an unwise financial move. It can have lasting implications. Recent figures show that outstanding student loan debt has reached $1.5 trillion[i]. Our younger generation is not only struggling under this debt, they are also pushing off other personal and financial milestones, such as purchasing a house[ii], getting married or starting a family[iii]. These decisions can have long-lasting and far-reaching consequences.

Lastly, let’s not forget the countless parents who put their path to financial independence on hold to financially assist their struggling children. While wanting to financially help your loved ones is admirable, it helps no one to offer assistance at the expense of your own security. Just like when traveling by airplane, you need to put your own oxygen mask on and secure your safety first before aiding others. There are no scholarships for retirement, and you won’t have a financial safety net for the future if you don’t work towards creating it now.

College is truly an exciting time. Our young adults are learning who they are, where they want to go and how they intend to get there. At the same time, we cannot forget that college is a fleeting moment, one that is meant to arm the student with the tools needed to create a brighter and more successful future. Be sure to chat with your students to ensure that this experience does just that, rather than straddle these students with debt and stress.

[i] https://www.marketwatch.com/story/student-debt-just-hit-15-trillion-2018-05-08

[ii] https://www.businessinsider.com/student-debt-preventing-the-us-from-having-normal-housing-market-2019-5

[iii] https://www.bankrate.com/loans/student-loans/student-loans-survey-february-2019/

The opinions voiced in this material are for general information only and are not intended to provide specific advice or recommendations for any individual.

Prior to investing in a 529 Plan investors should consider whether the investor's or designated beneficiary's home state offers any state tax or other state benefits such as financial aid, scholarship funds, and protection from creditors that are only available for investments in such state's qualified tuition program. Withdrawals used for qualified expenses are federally tax free. Tax treatment at the state level may vary. Please consult with your tax advisor before investing.

The opinions voiced in this material are for general information only and are not intended to provide specific advice or recommendations for any individual.

Prior to investing in a 529 Plan investors should consider whether the investor's or designated beneficiary's home state offers any state tax or other state benefits such as financial aid, scholarship funds, and protection from creditors that are only available for investments in such state's qualified tuition program. Withdrawals used for qualified expenses are federally tax free. Tax treatment at the state level may vary. Please consult with your tax advisor before investing.

Disclaimer:

The opinions voiced in this material are for general information only and are not intended to provide specific advice or recommendations for any individual.

Stock investing involves risk including loss of principal.

Bonds are subject to market and interest rate risk if sold prior to maturity. Bond values will decline as interest rates rise and bonds are subject to availability and change in price.

There is no guarantee that a diversified portfolio will enhance overall returns or outperform a non-diversified portfolio. Diversification does not protect against market risk.

Investing in mutual funds involves risk, including possible loss of principal.

The principal value of a target fund is not guaranteed at any time, including at the target date. The target date is the approximate date when investors plan to start withdrawing their money.

No strategy assures success or protects against loss.

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