How and why “Making Money” is like “Losing Weight”?

To lose weight you need to exercise and eat right!  It’s the same to make money, you need to spend less than you earn, pay yourself first and manage your money right.  Can you do it yourself?  Sure you can! 

Did you ever try losing weight on your own?  Was it easy or difficult?

Were you successful or did you get too frustrated? Did you ask for help? Did you hire a personal trainer, a nutritionist or a coach?

Do It Yourself (DIY) works for some people, but hiring qualified help is my personal preference both for losing weight and for investing. Sure, today I am a Financial Adviser, fully licensed for securities, but that was not so 20 years ago.  That is why and how I became a Financial Adviser… I became the FA I’d wished I had when I was not one.

Donald Trump was elected president of the US last November. The stock markets went up as the new administration policies on tax and deregulation were seen as being drivers for growth.  Time will tell if the pro-growth expected actions can be enacted. As the possibility of deregulation and tax cuts fades and the impact of these actions comes into doubt, the volatility of the stock market increases and the doubts about the longevity of the stock market rally stops investors in their tracks.  But you don’t have to go it alone in the stock market!

Hire an FA!

A good Financial Adviser will help you achieve attractive returns by listening to the specifics of your personal situation and targeting your needs, using low cost investing. 

A FA will advise on the best investment strategies, using active or passive holdings, and will steer you away from potentially harmful emotion-based decisions. A good FA will help you find the courage to continue investing through the downturns of the market, which is the best time to buy. Risk management and tax planning will be used as tools for the implementation of a financial plan designed to increase your wealth, with the goal of a comfortable retirement, transferring assets to the next generation, and legacy and estate planning. A good FA will constantly monitor your portfolio, making sure that you are moving in the right direction.  Corrections will be made if needed.

Is it worth it to have a Financial Adviser? 

Try to find a reputable adviser who has the right credentials and experience.  Discuss every detail before deciding whether you will use “trade based” or “fee based” accounts (or a mixture of the two).  Recent research has proven that, on average, households who engage the services of a financial adviser end up with 2.73 times more financial assets over a fifteen year period than a similar household receiving no advice*.  Simply put, Canadians receiving advice are wealthier, more confident, better protected and better prepared for a new child, marriage, retirement and other life events compared to their unadvised friends.  Good investing should be like watching the paint dry or the grass grow. 

Hire a painter, a gardener, or a Financial Adviser and WATCH.  Your money will grow!

* Prof. Claude Montmarquette, Nathalie Viennot-Briot (2016 August) The Gamma Factor and the Value of Financial Advice Retrieved from https://www.ific.ca