It is not uncommon for one to not fully understand what it takes to attain success in retirement. According to a recent survey conducted by Merrill Lynch, a staggering 81% of American's admitted that they had no idea how much money they needed at retirement to be successful. It’s true that we only get one shot at planning for retirement, and most of us are not equipped to go it alone. Choosing a financial professional to assist us in planning for the future is one of the best ways to increase probability of success and that decision making process should not be taken lightly. You have specific needs as they relate to your retirement and you should be working with someone who will strive to help you meet each and every one of those needs prior to and during retirement. So, how do we ensure that the individual we delegate this responsibility to is, in fact, equipped to deliver a plan tailored to our goals? It all starts with preparing for the initial meeting. The initial meeting is crucial, and knowing what to ask your advisor can make all the difference. Most of us spend a large portion of our lives accumulating wealth with hopes to one day settle into a successful retirement life. However, we often find that people spend very little time getting to know their advisor along the way, and, even more importantly, most don’t having a complete understanding as to whether or not their advisor is the right choice. There are five important items that should be closely considered when assessing your current financial advisor or prior to seeking out a new one. This client engagement series will cover all five of these areas and provide you with clarity when deciding who the right financial advisor is for you. We will open the series in our next post where we will be discussing Fee Disclosure & Advisor Transparency
Ringing the Retirement Bell
