Personal Finance: Hire a Professional or DIY?

Contrary to popular belief, professional financial planning can potentially benefit people of all income levels.

So the question you may want to ask is not if you make enough money to need professional help, but rather, is your money working to create the life you want?

If your answer is “I don’t know” – no worries. There’s help!

A professional financial planner is, well, a professional

It’s true that personal finance is personal, but for many of us, it can be complicated too. Plus, it’s not something we usually learn about in school. So for many – even for those on the lower end of the income scale – a financial planner may have a lot to offer.

Even though there are some people who do just fine with financial planning on their own, many of us need help to connect the dots. Having a solid financial strategy often isn’t just coming up with a monthly budget and sticking to it. Many Americans don’t seem to have a grip on how personal finance intersects with their lives. In fact, about half of Americans don’t have a financial plan at all. (Are you one of them?)

Maybe you know exactly what you want – let’s say to retire by 60. But you don’t know how to get there. This is where a financial planner may help.

Maybe you don’t know what you want, even though you’re already disciplined in your budget. You may still need a good financial planner who can help you imagine and create a strategy for the future of your dreams.

A financial planner can foster accountability

One of the most difficult things about creating and living by a financial strategy is accountability. Let’s be real. It can be difficult to find the discipline to consistently stick to a budget, save for retirement, and live within our means.

If you’re coming up short in the discipline department, hiring a financial planner may help create some accountability for you. This isn’t to say they’re going to wag their finger if you splurge on a spontaneous girls’ weekend in Cozumel, but they may help create a sense of accountability by checking in with you regularly to see if you’re on the right track. You might decide that girls’ weekend could be planned a little closer to home instead…

A financial planner offers expertise at every life stage

A financial strategy isn’t something you create and then forget about. A wise financial strategy changes as your life changes, so it must be revisited. A good time to take a fresh look at your financial strategy is during life events such as:

• Getting a new job
• Making a major purchase, such as a home
• Starting a business
• Getting married
• Having a child

Every one of these milestones signals a time to revisit your finances. A professional financial adviser can help ease these transitions by taking the pulse of your financial health at every life change.

What a financial planner can’t do

If you’re not ready to deal with your personal finances, a financial planner won’t be much help to you. In other words, they can’t make you take initiative when it comes to your financial life. But if you’re ready to explore the world of personal finance, they may help make the difference between a dream and a reality!