What Real Financial Advisors Do For Their Clients

They:

• Explain the exact nature of their relationship with you, including how they are paid
• Systematically analyze your portfolio for cost-efficiency
• Make conflict-free recommendations
• Educate you so you know exactly what you are investing in, and why
• Help you integrate your 401(k)/403(b) plans with your other investments
• Follow a long-term investment process that ignores short-term outcomes, which are usually based on luck
• Apply risk management strategies that have high probabilities of being successful
• Seek to manage your behavior and keep you from acting impulsively
• Help keep you focused on the things you can control
• Construct and Update your family’s written Financial Plan
• Use your Financial Plan to help you find your financial blind spots and seek financial freedom
• Talk with you about strategies to efficiently fund college educations
• Create your retirement income plan by coordinating your Social Security benefits with your spouse’s benefits, and any pensions
• Educate you as to what is considered a safe withdrawal rate for your portfolio
• Talk with you about when to start Social Security, and which strategy fits best for you
• Talk with you about your legacy, and efficient wealth transfer techniques
• Talk with you about the relationship between your portfolio and your taxes
• Offer to meet with your accountant and estate attorney, and be the quarterback of your wealth team
• Help clients who own businesses understand, select, and build the right company retirement plan
• Advise clients on efficient strategies for preserving and transferring IRA assets, including Roth conversions
• Develop criteria for their ideal client, and are willing to tell you that you might not be a good fit
• Work with a limited number of clients
• Communicate with you in the way you are most comfortable; in person, telephone, email, or a combination
• Provide you with responsive and caring service