In conclusion, working with a financial advisor can be a great way to achieve your financial goals, but it's important to weigh the pros and cons carefully before making a decision. The cost and the risk of conflicts of interest are the main disadvantages of working with a financial advisor.
Simply put, they don't offer good value or ROI compared to what they cost. If you really want to unlock financial freedom, doing it yourself is the way to go. And now that you know it's not only possible – but easy – you can get started.
A financial advisor is worth paying for if they provide help you need, whether because you don't have the time or financial acumen or you simply don't want to deal with your finances. An advisor may be especially valuable if you have complicated finances that would benefit from professional help.
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 $500,000, $1 million or even more.
Source: 2021 Fidelity Investor Insights Study. Furthermore, industry studies estimate that professional financial advice can add between 1.5% and 4% to portfolio returns over the long term, depending on the time period and how returns are calculated.
Taking too long to reply, whether it is a simple email, a call-back, or a question about their structure, is a red flag. This means the advisor works around their own time and won't budge if you ever have an urgent or time-sensitive request.
Red Flag #1: They're not a fiduciary.
In fact, only financial advisors that hold themselves to a fiduciary standard of care must legally put your interests ahead of theirs. Meanwhile, broker-dealers, banks, and insurance companies typically hold their financial advisors to a less stringent suitability standard.
Poor performance, high fees, strained communication and stagnant advice are among the reasons to look for a new advisor. Kevin Voigt is a former staff writer for NerdWallet covering investing.
Visit FINRA BrokerCheck or call FINRA at (800) 289-9999. Or, visit the SEC's Investment Adviser Public Disclosure (IAPD) website. Also, contact your state securities regulator. Check SEC Action Lookup tool for formal actions that the SEC has brought against individuals.
"Certainly, it's important to have an advisor you can trust, but you still want to keep the relationship professional," Notchick adds. "When that relationship becomes more like a friendship, high fees almost always mean the investor will pay the price."
Those who use financial advisors typically get higher returns and more integrated planning, including tax management, retirement planning and estate planning. Self-investors, on the other hand, save on advisor fees and get the self-satisfaction of learning about investing and making their own decisions.
Studies have shown that financial advisors have the potential to add, on average, between 1.5% and 4% to your portfolio above what the average person is able to get as a return on their own.
There are a few ways you can check if a financial advisor is legitimate. You can check with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) by visiting their BrokerCheck website or calling (800) 289-9999. You can also check the SEC's Investment Advisor Public Disclosure (IAPD) website.
You'll have in-depth conversations about your finances, short- and long-term goals, existing investments and tolerance for investing risk, among other topics. Your advisor will work with you to create a plan tailored to your needs: retirement planning, investment help, insurance coverage, etc.
Top Reasons Financial Advisors Get Fired
Poor Communication: One of the primary reasons people fire their financial advisors is a lack of communication.
However, being a financial advisor isn't always easy. They face challenges like keeping up with changes in financial laws and regulations, understanding new investment tools and technologies, and meeting the high expectations of their clients.
Financial advisor fees may be negotiable. Whether you're able to get fees reduced can depend on which advisor or firm you're working with. If an advisor is willing to negotiate fees, they must specify that in their Form ADV.
While 1.5% is on the higher end for financial advisor services, if that's what it takes to get the returns you want then it's not overpaying, so to speak. Staying around 1% for your fee may be standard but it certainly isn't the high end. You need to decide what you're willing to pay for what you're receiving.
Most of my research has shown people saying about 1% is normal. Answer: From a regulatory perspective, it's usually prohibited to ever charge more than 2%, so it's common to see fees range from as low as 0.25% all the way up to 2%, says certified financial planner Taylor Jessee at Impact Financial.
The study found that 70% of millionaires versus 37% of the general population work with a financial advisor. Moreover, 53% of wealthy people consider advisors to be their most trusted source of financial advice. Spouses/partners ranked a distant second at 11%, followed by business news at 10%.