Do You Need a Financial Planner?

Abstract

Often, the first question in the personal financial-planning process is, “Do I need help (that is, should I engage the services of a personal financial planner)?” or, alternatively, “Can I complete the process myself?” The answer to this latter question is sometimes “Yes,” simply because of the desire to avoid the anticipated expense involved in securing the help of a professional planner. But is this the best decision? This chapter describes the types of financial planners, and questions to ask them when deciding to seek assistance, as well as factors to be considered should you choose the do-it-yourself option.