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Financial Symmetry: Balancing Today with Retirement

When considering retirement, do you wonder what financial opportunities you may be missing? Busy lives take over and years pass without taking advantage. In this retirement podcast, the Financial Symmetry advisors unveil financial opportunities, to help you balance enjoying today so you are ready to retire later. By day, they are fiduciary fee-only financial advisors who answer questions about tax savings, investment decisions, and how to save more. If you’ve been putting off your financial to-do list or are just not sure what you’ve been missing, subscribe to the show and learn more at www.financialsymmetry.com. Financial Symmetry is a Raleigh Financial Advisor. Proudly serving clients in the Triangle of North Carolina for over 20 years.
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Now displaying: April, 2021
Apr 19, 2021

What are you investing for? Many say higher or better returns--but higher or better than what? What do those higher returns make possible for you? 

Video recap: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tKC2ulw3cz8

To have a successful investment experience you need to have a plan in place. Mike Eklund joins me once again on this episode of Financial Symmetry to discuss our 3 step investing process. This process creates the guideposts for all Financial Symmetry clients. Listen in to learn why failing to plan means you are planning to fail. 

Why do you need a plan?

Have you ever thought about why you are investing in the first place? Before creating your investment plan you’ll want to set your goals. This way you can understand what kind of returns you need in order to achieve your goals. 

We are all often guilty of the lottery mindset--that mindset that thinks if we could choose that one next big thing then we would be set. All we needed to do was buy Apple in 2000, or Tesla in 2012, or Bitcoin at $1000. But the reality is, successful investing requires a plan. Your investment plan can help you understand when to buy and sell or increase or reduce risk in your portfolio. 

Our 3 step process

At Financial Symmetry, we use a 3 step process to help our clients achieve their financial goals.

  1. Determine when you need the money. Will you need it sooner or later? When you need the money determines the amount of risk you can take. The longer you own stock the more the risk diminishes, so as investors, we are short-term pessimists and long-term optimists. 
  2. Have a plan in place. Having a plan means that you won’t have to react to market events. This is why the rules-based process is so important. Think about what you can control and implement the plan by using low-cost, high-quality investments. Whether you use index funds or active funds doesn't matter as much as how you plan. 
  3. Monitor your investment plan so that you can stay invested. Take advantage of opportunistic rebalancing and buy and sell based on your target percentage. Many people leave out this step but it is just as important as the other two steps. 

5 things you can expect as a Financial Symmetry client

You may be wondering what we at Financial Symmetry offer to our clients. Our clients can expect these 5 things from us.

  1. Our focus is to help you achieve your goals. We focus on long-term success over short-term results. 
  2. Clients can review their investments on a daily basis in the Client Center. 
  3. We know that communication is important, so we make sure to answer your questions. We understand that it's your money we are working with.
  4. We provide years of experience and do extensive research on all our investments. 
  5. We all invest in the same way as our clients.

We can help you reach your goals

What is your investment plan? Do you have a rules-based process? Investing is a lot like fitness. Everyone wants to start, but it can be hard to keep up. We can be your financial personal trainer and help you stay on track to reach your goals.

We can make investing easier for you. If you don’t have the knowledge, experience, and interest to do this all on your own we can help.

Outline of This Episode

  • Why are you investing in the first place? [3:40]
  • We follow a rules-based process [6:02]
  • Monitor your investment plan [15:32]
  • 5 things to expect as a Financial Symmetry client [18:21]
  • The progress principle [23:25]

Resources & People Mentioned

Connect With Chad and Mike

Subscribe To This Podcast

Apple Podcasts <> Stitcher <> Google Play

Apr 5, 2021

Have you been on the fence about hiring a financial advisor? This indecisiveness can cost you. This episode will help you decide whether hiring a financial advisor is right for you. You’ll learn the 5 C’s that you can expect when hiring a financial advisor. Press play to find out what you should expect from your financial advisor.

Video Recap: https://youtu.be/zuTdjdDkqUI

4 reasons you may be looking for a financial advisor

Have you been considering hiring a financial advisor? If so, then you may be seeking assistance in one of several areas. 

Competence - You are looking for someone who knows more than you and is an expert in their field.

Coaching - You may know quite a bit, but knowing and doing are 2 different things. A financial advisor can be like a personal trainer and give you the push you need to get things done. 

Convenience -A financial advisor can do what you don’t have time for. 

Continuity - You may want someone to help you coordinate with others for family or legacy planning. 

Do any of these reasons seem familiar to you? Keep listening to hear what a financial planner can do to help you.

What to expect from a financial advisor

Collaboration - Your financial advisor will co-create a plan that serves you and helps you reach your financial goals. This should be a collaborative process between the two of you. In your first meeting, you can expect to be asked a lot of questions so that they can learn about you and your goals. You want your financial advisor to lead with a planning focused approach. If you receive a sales pitch instead, this should raise a red flag.

Credentials - Many people are surprised to learn that you don’t have to have any qualifications to be a financial advisor. However, you may see a bit of an alphabet soup after a financial advisor’s name. It is important to understand what these letters mean. Are they real credentials or simply sales designations? Look for the gold standard CFP certification. CFA and CPA are two other certifications that may be relevant to your situation.

Communication - You can expect regular communication from your financial advisor. They may set up a communication calendar with you to help you set expectations in communication. This regular communication will help you stay updated. Your advisor may also reach out to discuss tax opportunities, set goals, and to review progress. Listen in to hear what red flags you should look out for in your advisor communications.

Compounding value - Are you better off after you pay your advisor than you would have been otherwise? This can be hard to quantify and may take a bit of introspection. Look at your return on life as well as the quantitative parts. Consider your investment returns, rebalancing, and tax deferral. If you think that your advisor is providing a free service then make sure to look for the hidden costs in your portfolio. A fee-only financial advisor discloses their costs upfront so that there are no surprises. If you are looking for a fee-only financial advisor you can find out more about our services at FinancialSymmetry.com.

Outline of This Episode

  • The 4 reasons you may be looking for a financial advisor [2:57]
  • What to expect from a financial advisor [4:19]
  • Your financial advisor should communicate with you regularly [14:51] 
  • Is your financial advisor adding value to your life? [18:51]
  • The progress principle [24:01]

Resources & People Mentioned

Connect With Chad and Mike

Subscribe To This Podcast

Apple Podcasts <> Stitcher <> Google Play

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