Archive for May, 2016
Finding a Financial Planner Who Shares Your Beliefs
Most people do not grow up knowing how to manage, invest, or save their money. The only education the majority of people get about money planning is when they overhear their parents talking about paying the bills or balancing the checkbook. For this reason, many people turn to financial planners. Financial planners have the job of advising clients on the best way to make their money grow. They do this by first learning about the client, learning about their goals for the future, and then based on those goals giving them a macro and a micro view of their money.
The relationship that exists between a financial planner and their client is very close. This is because for most people very few things are as private or as personal as money. The plans that people make with their money reflect what they want for them and their families in the future. Many people are particular about what they invest their money in. Even though there may be some lucrative investment opportunities, if these opportunities do not harmonize with their personal, fiscal, or social beliefs, individuals may shy away from these forms of investments.
For example, if a family wants to invest their money in a Sharia-compliant way, they would talk to an Islamic financial advisor. The financial advisor would know that the family would not want to invest their money in companies that support tobacco, pornography, and other ideals that go against their core beliefs. This reinforces the importance of the relationship that exists between the financial planner and their client.
Some people feel that they do not need a financial planner and that they can plan their financial future on their own. But it is good to remember that even extremely wealthy individuals who are very business minded rely on others to help them make financial decisions. Why? Because it is one thing to deal with another person’s money, but it is an entirely different thing to handle your own money. When a person is handling their own resources, emotion gets in the way. Emotions can cloud good judgment and could lead a person to make a financial decision that will be detrimental for them down the road.
Although a good financial planner will take the feelings and beliefs of their clients into consideration, they will also look at their client’s financial situation in an impartial way. Their goal is to help their client build a successful financial future.