Take Advantage of YOUR 401(k) Options
Your employer has new 401(k) options available. In addition to new Self-Directed Expanded Investment options, you also have the ability to discuss your financial goals with a financial professional. Maybe you’re amongst the group that just wants to select investment options and be done with financial planning, no need to waste any more time on saving for your future. If that’s you, it might be a good idea to reconsider. Meeting with a financial advisor may be beneficial to your financial planning, after all, retirement savings deserve careful consideration.
Why a professional?
A financial advisor is trained to understand various investment and savings options. Most financial advisors offer free consultations to learn a client’s goals. From there they provide viable options, then, if the client continues working with them, puts financial plans into motion. The advisor monitors investments to ensure the financial plan is on course, offering suggestions for corrections along the way. For the client, it’s a mostly hands off process, making it ideal for time-crunched individuals
When a financial plan is being carried out here’s what you can expect most advisors to accomplish:
- Help decipher the difference between knowledge and feelings.
Oftentimes we act on emotions or what we think we know. Saving for retirement isn’t the time to act on emotion. Advisors keep their clients’ emotions from making huge monetary decisions, instead offering rational knowledge and experience to weather the swells associated with investing and long term savings.
- Discern the slush from valuable financial information.
Advisors determine what’s important for you amidst complex financial information. They can offer options applicable to YOUR financial goals, YOUR current financial status, and based on YOUR attitudes towards finances. This customized method of planning can be efficient in both time and money savings.
- Provide on-going corrections.
Financial planning is one of those things you should think about once in a while, but it shouldn’t crowd your mind with worries every day. Advisors help quiet worries by continuously monitoring their clients’ financial plans. If something should be corrected, albeit not due to emotional reasoning, the advisor can inform the client. If a client’s financial goals shift, guess who will adjust the plan and present viable options? That’s right, the advisor.
Is it all worth it?
Individuals who utilized professional investing advice earned a median annual return of almost 3% higher than those who didn’t (1). An advisor saves time and energy while also reducing some of the stresses associated with saving, goal setting, and financial planning. Few people have time to read through the fine points of every possible retirement savings option. A professional advisor can present applicable options and offer suggestions based on his or her experiences. A trusted advisor can potentially reduce financial planning missteps. Remember there are no do overs!
With the help of a financial advisor your retirement savings may offer more returns, you might find yourself with less financial worries, and more time on your hands to spend doing what you enjoy. It’s worth looking into a partner for planning your financial future.
Whether you have a dollar or a million dollars in your retirement account you will be able to explore the value of a real advisor simply by visiting the Self Directed Brokerage Account advisor contact site. From this site you can begin to take advantage of the features of your retirement plan. If you wish you can also download a fact finder sheet that can be used to create your personal retirement financial plan.
(1) Based on a 2014 Vanguard study on their Alpha framework, “Putting a value on your value: Qualifying Vanguard Advisor’s Alpha.”
Securities and advisory services offered through Independent Financial Group, LLC (IFG). Member FINRA/SIPC. Symphony Financial and IFG are not affiliated.
To learn more about Rick Willoughby, view his Paladin Registry research report.
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