Do financial advisors tell you what to invest in?
Depending on your goals, as well as your tolerance for risk and the time you have to pursue those goals, your advisor can help you identify a mix of investments that are appropriate for you and designed to help you reach them.
Financial advice, however, informs you which specific product would best suit your needs. For example, if you have a lump sum you want to save, someone giving guidance would tell you what your saving options are in broad terms. They may tell you about the pros and cons of regular savings accounts, ISAs and investments.
To choose investments for a client, financial advisors start by assessing the investor's tolerance of and capacity for risk. Most advisors operate with model portfolios, which they adapt to suit individual clients' needs and preferences.
They can estimate your future financial needs and plan ways to stretch your retirement savings. They can also advise you on when to start tapping into Social Security and using the money in your retirement accounts so you can avoid any nasty penalties.
Together you and a financial advisor refine your short- and long-term goals, and then your advisor helps you stay on track to achieve those goals. With some advisors, you can do your own investing. Others offer full-service investment management services, handling tasks like trades and portfolio rebalancing for you.
- "I offer a guaranteed rate of return."
- "Performance is the only thing that matters."
- "This investment product is risk-free. ...
- "Don't worry about how you're invested. ...
- "I know my pay structure is confusing; just trust me that it's fair."
Bottom Line. While most investors don't use financial advisors and practice self-investing, going to professionals for investment advice is becoming more common. Those who use financial advisors typically get higher returns and more integrated planning, including tax management, retirement planning and estate planning.
If you feel your Financial Advisor evades or ignores questions, changes topics frequently, or avoids details about commissions, then it could be worth considering if they are a good fit for your needs. Every advisor should make a good faith effort to help you understand all aspects of your plan.
Verdict — Is Edward Jones worth it? For the average investor, Edward Jones is probably not the best choice. You could spend more time learning about making investment decisions by yourself and choose a platform with lower fees.
The Bottom Line: Stock Advisor is well worth the money. If you're looking for a service with an exceptional, S&P500-beating track record and can stomach the volatility of growth stocks, it's almost a no-brainer.
How much money should you have before talking to a financial advisor?
Generally, having between $50,000 and $500,000 of liquid assets to invest can be a good point to start looking at hiring a financial advisor. Some advisors have minimum asset thresholds. This could be a relatively low figure, like $25,000, but it could $500,000, $1 million or even more.
Visit FINRA BrokerCheck or call FINRA at (800) 289-9999. Or, visit the SEC's Investment Adviser Public Disclosure (IAPD) website. Also, contact your state securities regulator. Check SEC Action Lookup tool for formal actions that the SEC has brought against individuals.
It might come as a surprise, but your financial professional—whether they're a banker, planner or advisor—wants to know more about you than how much money you can invest. They can best help you achieve your goals when they know more about your job, your family and your passions.
An advisor who believes in having a long-term relationship with you—and not merely a series of commission-generating transactions—can be considered trustworthy. Ask for referrals and then run a background check on the advisors that you narrow down such as from FINRA's free BrokerCheck service.
Many financial advisers charge based on how much money they manage on your behalf, and 1% of your total assets under management is a pretty standard fee.
Investors who work with an advisor are generally more confident about reaching their goals. Industry studies estimate that professional financial advice can add up to 5.1% to portfolio returns over the long term, depending on the time period and how returns are calculated.
Red Flag #1: They're not a fiduciary.
You be surprised to learn that not all financial advisors act in their clients' best interest. In fact, only financial advisors that hold themselves to a fiduciary standard of care must legally put your interests ahead of theirs.
- Poor Communication. ...
- Lack of Availability. ...
- Bad Financial Advice. ...
- Failure To Listen. ...
- Too Focused on Investments. ...
- Less-Than-Satisfactory Results. ...
- Not Worth the Money.
There are definite risks involved in getting too friendly with a financial advisor, or hiring a friend who is a financial advisor. "It's a good idea for everyone to take a more proactive approach with their own investments," says Vic Patel, a professional trader and founder of Forex Training Group.
Your adviser's fees will be based on many things: what advice you need, how much time it will take, and the size of the assets involved. Advisers often charge between 1% and 2% of the asset in question (e.g. a pension pot), with lower percentages being charged for larger assets.
How often should you meet with a financial advisor?
You should meet with your advisor at least once a year to reassess basics like budget, taxes and investment performance. This is the time to discuss whether you feel you are on the right track, and if there is something you could be doing better to increase your net worth in the coming 12 months.
- Suze Orman.
- Jim Cramer.
- Robert Kiyosaki.
- Ben Stein.
- Charles Ponzi.
- Bernard Madoff.
- FAQs.
- The Bottom Line.
Investment advisors cannot guarantee the outcome of an investment since the financial markets can be impacted by many different factors. However, advisors can reference historic data and research to support their investment selection.
According to J.D. Power, Edward Jones did particularly well in the investment adviser and investment performance factors while Fidelity did well with account information and account offerings.
All periods show annualized returns. All data is for the period ending 12/31/2022. Past performance is not a guarantee of future results. Since inception in January 1993, the Edward Jones Stock Focus List has provided an average annual total return of 9.6% compared to 9.5% for the S&P 500.