Good Financial Reads: Financial Priorities, Financial Pros, and More

Following along with the blogs of financial advisors is a great way to access valuable, educational information about finance — and it doesn’t cost you a thing! Our financial planners love to share their knowledge and help everyone regardless of age or assets.

Catch up on some of the latest posts with this week's roundup:

Top 5 Financial Priorities for Young Professionals

by Justin Rush, JGR Financial Solutions

Sometimes we suffer from information overload. As our minds try to process more data, we reach a point where instead of doing good it actually creates confusion.

I’ve seen many young professionals experience this when it comes to their personal finances. They read, research, and ask trusted friends for advice, but ultimately find themselves confused and unsure of their next steps.

My goal is to help you address five key areas of your personal finances so you can turn your attention towards more important things in your life. Sure, there is a lot more to discuss than what I’m about to highlight, but think of this as a good foundation on which to build.

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The 2 Most Important Words In Holistic Financial Planning

by Brandon Marcott, Edify Financial Planning

I am frustrated by the way many financial planners work with clients. An alarming percentage do not take the time to understand your needs. They profile you, put you in a pre-assembled “box,” rarely customizing your particular situation. Planners are always correcting you, telling you no, talking down to you, pointing out the ways you are wrong.

Planners traditionally are very good at talking…but not so good at listening. They make you sit through hours of analysis, paperwork, charts, graphs, and recommendations. How much time do they spend listening to you? 20 minutes? Maybe?

You deserve more than that. You deserve the 2 magic words. The 2 most important words that will help us understand and truly help and serve you. The words:

“Yes…And."

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What Is My Credit Score and Why Does It Matter?

by Scott Frank, Stone Steps Financial

Depending upon your age, you can expect to change jobs 11 – 15 times in your career. That’s a lot of 401(k)s. So many, in fact, you may be tempted to leave them behind or cash out and go on a spending spree. It’s free money, right?

Not at all. Simply ignoring the supercharged growth potential of early investing makes it a lot harder to get on track with retirement planning 10, 20 and 30 years down the road. That “free money” from your 20s and 30s suddenly costs dearly when you find yourself working five extra years to meet your retirement goals.

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What to Look for in a Financial Professional

by Raquel Hinman, Hinman Financial Planning

There is a plethora of information about what to look for in a financial advisor/questions to ask a financial planner/how to find a financial advisor. In fact, a quick google search on “How to find a financial advisor?” found about 74,200,000 results.

Two critical issues that are rarely mentioned, though are:

1. Are you comfortable with them?
2. What is their motivation?

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