Rising Tide Blog

Chris Browne, award winning Wealth Coach, gives you some tips on what to look for when selecting a financial planner.

EIGHT THINGS YOUR FINANCIAL PLANNER MUST HAVE

Did you know, that choosing a financial planner that’s right for YOU is actually pretty difficult?
I bet you did!

We’ve all had those experiences where someone has been recommended to us, but we just didn’t get a good feel about them. Why would you take financial advice from someone who leaves you feeling cold?

Here’s some advice to help you make a better choice:

Does your financial advisor make the complicated, uncomplicated?

If you leave the first meeting more confused about your financial affairs than when you first arrived, they haven’t done their job.

How much experience do they have?

I recommend that they have a minimum of 5 years’ experience, your advisor needs to have experienced the good and the downright ugly. Unless they have given advice during times like the Global Financial Crisis they haven’t truly learned or honed their financial planning skills.

What about their qualifications?

Let’s face it any muppet can get a degree, so make sure that your muppet has a degree relevant to financial planning. Objective advice is another must, the reality is if you’re getting advice from an industry fund or a bank planner it is highly likely they’ll end up recommending their own product. If you’re looking for financial advice that is genuinely in your best interest get it from someone who tailors their recommendations according to your needs, not theirs.

The Cold Beer Test

If you come out of that first meeting and you don’t think that you could go down to the local and share a drink and a chat, they’re probably not the right fit. You need to actually like the person you appoint as your financial planner if you’re going to work well together.

Leadership

Great financial planners are great leaders, they’ll be able to listen to you but also be prepared to push you in the right direction when you’re being indecisive and stop you from making bad decisions.

Is your planner a specialist in your life stage?

It’s impossible to do everything really well, whether you’re a chef, doctor or even a financial planner. Therefore, it is critical that you find a planner with specific skills related to your age group and personal circumstances.

Size Really DOES Matter

In some situations you can get away with being small, however in the financial planning world it is crucial that you partner with someone who belongs to a bigger team and who you know will be around in 12 months’ time.

There’s a lot to consider, but it’s really important that you choose the right partner because after all it’s YOUR money.

Makes good sense, don’t you reckon?

Good luck!