Should I get a financial advisor in my 40s?
Your 40s are rife with savings opportunities that set up what's to come in the decades ahead. A financial advisor can help you prepare for both your present and future goals.
Key points
A financial advisor can help you identify and achieve your financial goals. Consider hiring an advisor if your finances are complex or you experience a major life event.
Data through the first three quarters of 2023 suggest the average age of an investor using a dedicated advisor had dropped slightly—to 57.7—according to J.D. Power. Clients who are over age 50 represent about three-quarters of advisory clients, and they hold more than 80% of the advised assets, according to Fidelity.
Generally, having between $50,000 and $500,000 of liquid assets to invest can be a good point to start looking at hiring a financial advisor. Some advisors have minimum asset thresholds. This could be a relatively low figure, like $25,000, but it could $500,000, $1 million or even more.
Usually, advisors that charge a percentage will want to work with clients that have a minimum portfolio of about $100,000. This makes it worth their time and will allow them to make about $1,000 to 2,000 a year.
Having multiple cooks in the kitchen, so to speak, could also be problematic if your advisors take different approaches to tax management. A single advisor may be better positioned to review your entire financial picture and come up with strategies for minimizing your tax liability.
Those who use financial advisors typically get higher returns and more integrated planning, including tax management, retirement planning and estate planning. Self-investors, on the other hand, save on advisor fees and get the self-satisfaction of learning about investing and making their own decisions.
The average age of the profession also contributes a bit. Many financial advisors are in their late 50s and closing in on retirement.
Practice saving, not spending.
Look at saving as spending on your future. Everyone needs a nest egg or rainy day fund. To build one, it's easiest to start small. Save $100 or even just $50 per month by having funds automatically deducted from your paycheck and placed in a separate, interest-bearing savings account.
What Percentage of Financial Advisors are Successful? 80-90% of financial advisors fail and close their firm within the first three years of business. This means only 10-20% of financial advisors are ultimately successful.
What are the disadvantages of a financial planner?
The cost and the risk of conflicts of interest are the main disadvantages of working with a financial advisor.
7. Seek Professional Finance Advice. Of high-net-worth individuals, 70 percent work with a financial advisor. You can compare that to just 37 percent in the general population.
If you have less than $50,000 of liquid assets then you may also want to consider going at it on your own as the fees might not be worth it. With that said, financial advisors can bring a wealth of information and experience to the table that can make a huge difference in your potential return.
For example, 80 percent of your business comes from 20 percent of your clients. By focusing more on those clients, you can increase your profits. This principle extends to other areas, as well—including marketing and client communications.
Schwab Wealth Advisory™
Fees start at 0.80% and the fee rate decreases at higher asset levels.
Most of my research has shown people saying about 1% is normal. Answer: From a regulatory perspective, it's usually prohibited to ever charge more than 2%, so it's common to see fees range from as low as 0.25% all the way up to 2%, says certified financial planner Taylor Jessee at Impact Financial.
According to the data, the average 70-year-old has approximately: $60,000 in transaction accounts (including checking and savings) $127,000 in certificate of deposit (CD) accounts. $17,000 in savings bonds.
If you're 70, you should keep 30% of your portfolio in stocks. However, with Americans living longer and longer, many financial planners are now recommending that the rule should be closer to 110 or 120 minus your age.
Indeed, a good mix of equities (yes, even at age 70), bonds and cash can help you achieve long-term success, pros say. One rough rule of thumb is that the percentage of your money invested in stocks should equal 110 minus your age, which in your case would be 40%. The rest should be in bonds and cash.
If you are well-versed in financial knowledge and investing and are looking to just grow your wealth, you may not need a financial advisor. On the other hand, if you are not confident in investing money or understanding the financial markets, then a financial advisor could be worth it.
What is very high net worth?
Types of High-Net-Worth Individuals (HNWIs)
The very-high-net-worth individual (VHNWI) classification can refer to someone with a net worth of at least $5 million. Ultra-high-net-worth individuals (UHNWIs) are defined as people with investable assets of at least $30 million.
A financial advisor will help you identify which funds to invest in based on your goals, and adjust those choices over time as your goals evolve or change. Keep you on track. A financial advisor can also help you stay on track when markets go down. They can also help you with a 401(k) rollover if you leave your job.
The 3% rule in retirement says you can withdraw 3% of your retirement savings a year and avoid running out of money. Historically, retirement planners recommended withdrawing 4% per year (the 4% rule). However, 3% is now considered a better target due to inflation, lower portfolio yields, and longer lifespans.
You won't be able to take Social Security benefits until you reach 62 or qualify for Medicare until age 65. Retirement accounts also have a 10% penalty for withdrawals taken before you turn age 59½. Therefore, if you retire at 50, you'll need to tap into other resources to finance those first 10 to 12 years.
In the Big 4, typical retirement age is 58 to 60. For local and regional firms it's 65 or 66. Firms are becoming more flexible about letting partners work past retirement age.
