The Role of the Financial Advisor

Don’t get me wrong. I love my job. One of the primary reasons I chose this field is to help people. However, every once in a while we run into somebody that is beyond help. After dealing with somebody last week who fell into that category this video came to mind.

Granted, few people are as extreme as this example, but I’m sure we’ve all come across people that shared some of these characteristics. Some of the more common things I’ve come across:

• Unreasonable expectations for returns versus the risks involved to generate those returns

• Unwillingness to pay any fees — as I always say, you get what you pay for.

• Using talking points from Wall Street commercials or TV and radio “gurus”

• Lack of planning for the future

• Not disclosing valuable information needed for the planning process

• Failure to understand basic financial concepts

Thankfully, I’ve worked with far more reasonable clients than I have unreasonable ones, which keeps me motivated every morning trying to find ways to educate investors on the ways they can take control of their financial future.