Why use a Financial Adviser for Planning your Retirement?
The value of pensions and investments can fall as well as rise; you may get back less than you invested.
Retirement – and appropriate cover – used to be considered a sure thing not too long ago. However, with so much financial upheaval and a shaky economy, along with austerity and a changing workplace, retirement is certainly far from simple nor sure these days. Add into this the ‘pensions crisis’, a population that’s living longer and the loss of the ‘job for life’ mentality and it seems retirement needs more careful planning than ever before.
Given all these negatives, it’s no surprise people are wondering why use a Financial Adviser for planning your requirement – but here’s five good reasons to use one.
Knowledge
The most obvious reason to use a Financial Adviser is knowledge; they actually know what they are talking about.
Whilst consumers are far more commercially aware these days, and with the advent of the Internet knowledge is more readily accessible than it used to be. However, retirement and circumstance are always individual so one product or situation never suits everybody.
Flexibility
Financial Advisers offer advice across a range of products and can produce a truly bespoke plan for retirement. This may not necessarily just be pensions, but consider investments, property portfolios or other assets.
By trusting a Financial adviser to plan a retirement, it moves away from the reliance on employers or company pension schemes, and is particularly useful for contractor or freelancers who may require specific products to cover their retirement.
Independence
When it comes to advice, you need to know your Financial Adviser is impartial. Although some Advisers work directly for certain financial institutions, they are often only tied to advising on their own products.
Consequently, any advise these advisors may give may not be fully independent, and may not actually serve the customer best for their retirement plan.
Honesty
All Financial Advisers have to declare their fees and commissions, and with this the customer will benefit from clarity and transparency. When a Financial Adviser is planning your retirement, you can be reassured that they must state their fees and if they are not truly independent (e.g. who is paying their commission). This in turn build confidence from the customer, as they will be able to question why a Financial Adviser may recommend a particular scheme or product, especially if it seems to be for the commission.
Financial Consultation
As a show of faith, most Financial Advisers will offer a fee-free initial consultation to potential new customers. This is an excellent way for the Financial Adviser to assess the circumstances of a customer, whilst in turn the customer gets a ‘feel’ for the relationship and advice.
Because of this, most Financial Advisers are keen to ensure their clients are totally satisfied with their retirement plans, as the best way for them to bring in new customers is through referral from satisfied existing clients.