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7 Myths About Real Estate Investing That Are Costing You Tens of Thousands of Dollars
Copyright 2005 Alex Nghiem
Did you know that real estate investing has created more millionaires that ALL other industries combined? The question, then, is why are more people not invested in real estate? Even with the increased awareness in real...
Economic Survival in the 21st Century - the Three Key Questions to ask
In this “special report”, I want to pose a few important “philosophical questions” to my readers. Firstly -- our Federal Reserve Chairman, Alan Greenspan, addressed the effects and implications of our aging population on things such as Social...
How To Pick A Profitable Mutual Fund
We have all heard the advantages of investing in a mutual fund
over trying to pick individual stocks. First of all mutual funds
hire professional analysts that are market experts and devout
many hours of study to the various stocks. Unless you...
Pre-Qualify for a Stated Income or No Doc Mortgage
The number of Stated Income and No Documentation loans (No Doc) have increased dramatically in the past few years. In some areas of the country, such as Washington D.C. or New York City, 75% of mortgage company loans are Stated Income or No Doc...
Sanity Check - Buying a Business
In the business broker community there is a review process that helps a buyer determine if a business purchase makes sense or not. This check can be done by a Fortune 500 company where everything is figured down to the penny and takes 1000 hours...
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CHOOSING THE RIGHT FINANCIAL PLANNER
Choosing a financial planner is a very important decision. Who will you trust to handle your life savings and plan your financial future? The fact that someone claims to be a financial planner does not qualify him or her to handle your money. They must have the proper certification, experience and knowledge.
The Four Cs of choosing a financial planner
1. Credentials
·What certifications, college /university degrees and experience does he/she have?
·How many clients or how much money does he/she handle?
·Make sure the planner is registered with the Investment Dealers Association in your area or Certified by a Government body
2. Compensation
·How are you compensated? Flat fees, salary or commission? (Beware of those who earn big commissions for placing you in high risk funds)
·Are there any hidden underwriting fees with my investment fund?
·Will you explain all the cost involved with each investment?
·What is the cost of liquidating or canceling my account with your firm? (Good to know, if you decide to switch funds or investment companies)
3. Characteristics
·What is your investment philosophy?
·Do you focus on domestic markets, foreign market or both? (Answer should be both)
·What is
Associated Websites
your specialty? Your strongest area? (Global portfolio management, no load mutual funds, stocks, bonds etc)
·How do you view risk and how does your philosophy fit my risk tolerance?
4. Customer service
·What services does your firm offer?
·How accessible will you (the agent) be?
·Will you review the funds last 5 to 10year performance in the prospectus?
·What has been your year-to-year investment performance?
·What was you worst year? Best year? And why? (Look for defensiveness or humility after raising this question, it reveals personality type)
·Do you offer financial planning, money management or both?
In conclusion, a financial planner works for you, and should be compatible with your personality, risk tolerance and financial goals. Make sure that your hard earn money is in good hands. Interview potential planners, ask for references and call at least 3 of those references.
For more information and articles pertaining to family life, visit:
http://www.parenttree.com
About the Author
Richmond Acheampong is the editor and founder of Parent Tree online family Resource. A web site promoting family health and balance with useful articles, products, advice columns and resourceful links.
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