Working with a professional to help you to make sense of your finances can be a wise move, but for this relationship to work effectively it is important that you understand what to expect from your financial advisor.
What can your financial advisor help you with?
- Defining your financial goals and creating a step by step plan or strategy to achieve them.
- Planning for the future, including for retirement, future education or housing needs.
- Choosing the mix of investments and assets that suit your goals, lifestyle, time horizon and appetite for risk.
- Building a solid estate for your family to inherit in the future.
- Choosing the most tax-efficient methods of saving and investing.
What should your financial advisor inform you of?
- The range of services that they offer and how much and by which method you will compensate them.
- Your mutual responsibilities and obligations towards each other.
- What the planning process will look like and the documents that they will provide you with.
What will your financial advisor need from you or need to ask you about?
- What your financial goals are.
- What your personal circumstances – such as your marital status, any dependents, your job, earnings and tax situation.
- Any investments or assets that you currently have – such as registered accounts, workplace pensions, property etc.
- Your appetite for risk and investment preferences.
- Information on your income and also your outgoings, including debts such as mortgages, loans or credit cards.
- Whether or not you have a will, and its contents.
- Your estate and inheritance planning situation.
If you’re looking to achieve your financial goals, talk to us. We can help.