Let's say you're just starting out and need help with something specific, like retirement planning. In that case, a financial adviser may be a good fit. However, if you have a complex financial situation or you want a more hands-on service, a wealth manager may be better suited to help.
However, in general, it's wise to start working with a financial advisor or wealth management team once you've built a nest egg of $1M in investable assets. However, you may wish to seek guidance earlier. Keep in mind that the greater your assets, the more complex your financial situation becomes.
As a complement to your Wealth Advisor, your Financial Consultant coordinates your entire relationship with Schwab, including: Serving as your guide at Schwab to help get you on track to meet your goals. Staying connected with your Wealth Advisor as you make informed decisions about your wealth.
While financial advisors can provide advice on a range of financial matters – such as budgeting, retirement planning and investment choices – wealth managers typically focus on more affluent clients and may offer services like estate planning, tax optimization and legacy planning.
Any minimums in terms of investable assets, net worth or other metrics will be set by individual wealth managers and their firms. That said, a minimum of $2 million to $5 million in assets is the range where it makes sense to consider the services of a wealth management firm.
Most millionaires likely use some type of financial advisor to grow and protect their wealth. Whether that is an investment manager or wealth advisor can vary but not using the financial expertise of an advisor to help grow your wealth could be risky unless you have the right knowledge and skills to do it yourself.
Very generally, having between $50,000 and $500,000 of liquid assets to invest can be a good point to start looking at hiring a financial advisor. Some advisors have minimum asset thresholds. This could be a relatively low figure, like $25,000, but it could also be higher, such as $500,000, $1 million or even more.
Some prefer to hire a wealth manager to help with situations such as retirement and estate planning, or to reach specific long-term goals. Wealth managers can provide personalized advice, help create comprehensive and strategic financial plans, and align your investment plan with any long-term goals.
Using the S&P 500 as an example, “only 27.1% of actively managed funds benchmarked to the S&P 500 beat it” according to The Wall Street Journal. The median large cap fund benchmarked to the S&P 500 underperforms, so the market return is a win to some advisors.
Industry standards show that financial advisor fees generally range between 0.5% and 1.5% of AUM annually. Placement of a 2% fee may appear steep compared to this average. However, this fee might encompass more comprehensive services or cater to more unique, high-maintenance portfolios.
High-net-worth individual (HNWI) is a technical term used in the financial services industry for people who maintain liquid assets at or above a certain threshold. Typically, they are defined as holding financial assets (excluding their primary residence) valued over US$1 million.
You're Confident Managing Your Own Investments
If you are comfortable selecting and managing your own investments, you may not need a financial advisor. Perhaps you follow the markets closely and do your own research on potential investments.
Life events. Graduating college, getting married, expanding your family and starting a business are some major life events that might cause you to reevaluate your financial situation. A financial advisor can help you manage these life events while making sure you get or stay on track.
At a recent Berkshire Hathaway annual shareholder meeting, Warren Buffett shared his thoughts on why he sees financial advisors as the worst people to trust with your money. Buffett believes that financial professionals in aggregate can't do better than the aggregate of the people who just sit tight.
Millionaires can insure their money by depositing funds in FDIC-insured accounts, NCUA-insured accounts, through IntraFi Network Deposits, or through cash management accounts. They may also allocate some of their cash to low-risk investments, such as Treasury securities or government bonds.
Once you have investable assets over $1M, it's definitely time to start speaking with advisory firms to see how they can help you optimize your investments. It's also important to ensure you're not overpaying your taxes or missing out on other wealth-planning opportunities.
What is the Rule of 72? Here's how it works: Divide 72 by your expected annual interest rate (as a percentage, not a decimal). The answer is roughly the number of years it will take for your money to double. For example, if your investment earns 4 percent a year, it would take about 72 / 4 = 18 years to double.
One common method is for advisors to charge a percentage of the assets they manage on your behalf. This rate often ranges from about 0.5% to 2% per year. For example, if an advisor manages $1,000,000 for you and charges a 1.2% fee, you would pay $12,000 annually for their services.
The short answer is no. You don't need to be wealthy to have a financial advisor. Financial advisors are not just for the rich. They can provide value to people at all income levels.