Good Financial Reads: Hiring a Financial Advisor

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

Why Independence Matters

by Tyler Reeves, Plimsoll Financial Planning

Throughout the last year, the New York Times has published several explosive (and long overdue) reports on the terrible current state of the Teachers' 403(b) market. This is a subject that is close to me, as both of my parents and my wife are educators. I actually began my career as a financial adviser working in this market with hopes of improving it.

Unfortunately, as the Times illustrates, there's a long way to go. Ungoverned by any fiduciary standard or real government regulation, teachers' retirement plans are often referred to as "The Wild, Wild West."

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Building a Financial Home

by Rebecca Conner, SeedSafe Financial

As a financial planner, we talk in numbers and make it sound so simple.  If you want X in the future, you have to give up $Y now in spending.  

Are those choices easy to make though?  

Financial plans are based on assumptions, and the outcome of the plan can seem distant and uneasy to grasp.  So I compare it to building a home.

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Practicing What I Preach

by Chuck Donalies, Donalies Financial Planning

This week, while having lunch with a friend and mentor, I questioned whether or not I really need to join a gym (and thus pay a monthly membership fee). Could I not continue my DIY approach? After all, I trained for and competed in triathlons for 10 years, so I'm pretty sure I know what I'm doing.

Thanks to an astute observation from my mentor, I had an epiphany: Although I consistently encourage people to invest in themselves, I wasn't following my own advice.

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Do I Need a Financial Planner?

by Meg Bartelt, Flow Financial Planning

Yes, I can read minds. Because that is what you’re wondering, right? And well you should!  I don’t know anyone who’s not a little worried about their finances. Us financial planners included.

It used to be the case that financial planners were the domain of the Rich or the Almost Retired And I’ve Been Saving My Entire Life So I Have a Big Investment Account. It didn’t matter if you could benefit from a financial planner…you couldn’t find one who would work with you or whom you could afford.

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