When you accept professional advice on how to invest, save, and grow your hard-earned money, you have certain expectations from your financial advisor: expertise, professionalism, ethics, and independent, sound financial advice. If you're not working with a Fee-Only Financial Advisor, you may not be getting what you bargained for. Why?
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2008 there were over 208,000 financial advisors in the United States, with that number expected to rise to 300,000 by 2018. However, of those, only 2,000 are Fee-Only and members of the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA). Unlike transaction-based financial consultants who make their money on commissions earned from selling financial products, Fee-Only financial advisors do not sell any products, nor do they work on commissions. Instead, they are paid a flat fee by the client for …show more content…
Transaction, Commission, and Fee-Based advisors are typically trained on only the products they sell and/or recommend, thereby taking a product-based approach to their clients' portfolios. The problem with the product-based approach is that providing comprehensive financial advice should be a process with multiple steps, integrating the client's holistic financial and non-financial reality. Fee-Only Financial Advisors always take a holistic approach with each client, and offer more objective advice on a plethora of investment options. As part of the holistic approach, Fee-Only financial advisors recognize that they can not work in financial silos, but rather in coordination with the client's other professional consultants such as CPAs, attorneys, and estate planners. In this way, clients can rest assured that all actions taken related to their finances are commensurate with their overall needs and
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2008 there were over 208,000 financial advisors in the United States, with that number expected to rise to 300,000 by 2018. However, of those, only 2,000 are Fee-Only and members of the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA). Unlike transaction-based financial consultants who make their money on commissions earned from selling financial products, Fee-Only financial advisors do not sell any products, nor do they work on commissions. Instead, they are paid a flat fee by the client for …show more content…
Transaction, Commission, and Fee-Based advisors are typically trained on only the products they sell and/or recommend, thereby taking a product-based approach to their clients' portfolios. The problem with the product-based approach is that providing comprehensive financial advice should be a process with multiple steps, integrating the client's holistic financial and non-financial reality. Fee-Only Financial Advisors always take a holistic approach with each client, and offer more objective advice on a plethora of investment options. As part of the holistic approach, Fee-Only financial advisors recognize that they can not work in financial silos, but rather in coordination with the client's other professional consultants such as CPAs, attorneys, and estate planners. In this way, clients can rest assured that all actions taken related to their finances are commensurate with their overall needs and