Why Use an Advisor?

Here are eight big reasons why working with a financial advisor or wealth manager makes good sense.

 

MFS Commentary, Winter 2017

With uncertainty growing, volatility becoming the new normal, and investment options continuing to change and expand, good advice has never been more important. It’s hard to tune out the rhetoric, manage expectations, and focus on your own goals. A reliable advisor can help. Here’s how:


Screen Out the Noise

In today’s world of 24/7 news, there is certainly no shortage of investment information and opinion to consider. However, a lot of financial failure comes from reacting to the market. Your advisor can help you tune out the noise! Getting caught up in current events and the latest market headline really is counterproductive to your financial well-being.


Clarify What’s Important

When it comes to your financial future, it can be difficult to articulate specific goals. How do you feel about money — earning, saving and spending? What do you dream of? What do you fear? Even once you’ve identified goals, the paths to attaining them are often unclear. This is where a trusted advisor can be invaluable. Together, you can address all of the topics important to pursuing the financial future you deserve.


Tune In to Yourself and Your Goals

In fact, one of the most important attributes of a good advisor is empathy. Your advisor knows you, your values and goals and the level of risk you are willing to undertake in pursuit of investment returns. This is the person you can always turn to when uncertainty or volatility strikes.


Build a Strategic Plan

You know that investing your money today could give it more opportunity to grow for tomorrow. But when, where and how should you begin? It all starts with building a comprehensive plan with your advisor, one based on the long-term goals you want to pursue.


Educate Your Expectations

Your advisor has a great deal of investment knowledge and market experience. Use it. Rely on it. Talk with him or her about the way markets work so you can short-circuit instinctive emotional responses to volatility.

When you do, you’ll understand the ordinariness of market declines, which are merely temporary interruptions of the permanent upward trend.


Stay On Track

Here’s the main thing about your financial plan: It will only work if you stick with it. Here is another critical aspect of your advisor’s ongoing worth: the dedication to helping you stay focused on your goals and the strategic plan you have built to pursue them. When volatility occurs or scary news headlines seem to dictate immediate action, your advisor can remind you of the wisdom of your long-range financial plan.


Regularly Review the Plan

Each year, you and your advisor, along with other stakeholders including advisors or adult children, should meet to review your financial plan. The annual review provides a regularly scheduled opportunity to gauge if you are on track toward your goals. It’s also the right time to discuss any significant life changes in your family. If you have experienced changes, you and your advisor may want to tweak the plan.


Stay Focused On Yourself

Having a trusted financial advisor means having someone who is always looking out for your financial wellbeing. Not just anyone, but a person who understands your dreams and goals and has a shared commitment to a long-term plan for pursuing them. Your advisor is there for you — to answer questions, provide guidance and keep you working toward your financial goals even through the most uncertain times.

 

Securities offered through LPL Financial, Member FINRA/SIPC.

The opinions voiced in this material are for general information only and are not intended to provide specific advice or recommendations for any individual. No strategy assures success or protects against loss.

 

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