During the bull market run of the 1990’s, any broker could’ve made you money, buy and hold anything and you’d most likely be satisfied with the result. However, as we all know, good things must come to an end. Now, in more volatile and uncertain markets, who is watching over your livelihood, your investment assets? Whether you know it or not, these accounts will shape your future. Not only will they provide for you and your family during retirement, but will hopefully be enough to leave a legacy when your time has come. This concept may seem disturbing to some, and should be without the proper guidance and counsel during life’s financial journey.
Here are some important questions we think that you should ask yourself when selecting an advisor.
WHAT ARE MY ADVISOR’S MOTIVES? IN OTHER WORDS, ARE WE INVESTING IN MY FUTURE, OR HIS? This is an important question and can be answered fairly easily by answering a simpler question…
AM I BUYING “PRODUCTS” OR “SERVICES” FROM MY ADVISOR? Products are typically commission driven, and much of this payment COMES TO the broker/advisor upfront, therefore future service on the account may not be in the broker’s best interest since they have already been paid in full on the relationship.
DOES MY ADVISOR HAVE AN INVESTMENT STRATEGY THAT’S INLINE WITH MY GOALS? WAIT, DOES HE KNOW WHAT MY GOALS ARE? DOES HE HAVE ACCESS TO THE INVESTMENT OPTIONS NEEDED IN ORDER TO OFFER ME THE RIGHT ADVICE? Advisors may be captive in that they can only sell you what is in their “company store”. We think that this is a big problem; SO, HOW ARE THESE SPECIFIC PRODUCTS IN YOUR BEST INTEREST?
One thing is for sure, market corrections will happen, “Bull Market Runs” end with “Bear Market Scares”. The last major market correction we experienced is still in the forefront of many investors’ minds. SO, WHAT IS YOUR ADVISOR DOING DIFFERENTLY TO HELP PRESERVE YOUR WEALTH DURING THE NEXT “BEAR SCARE”? HOW OFTEN IS HE OR SHE ANALYZING YOUR ACCOUNTS AND THE MARKETS FOR UNDERLYING WEAKNESSES, SIGNALS, AND/OR TRENDS?
We feel that these are all important questions that need to be answered to ensure that you’re getting the most out of your life’s savings and hard work. We believe the longer you wait to answer the questions, the harder it could be to take corrective measures once the problem has surfaced.