| A financial adviser is a professional expert in finance | | | | advice on your finances and help you manage your |
| who helps ordinary people manage their money and | | | | money. For many people, this works out great. They |
| plan for retirement. They have gone to college for | | | | know the bare basics to get by and their financial |
| accounting, finance, or another business or economic | | | | adviser fills in the rest. These people can afford to |
| major and they usually get accredited in someway | | | | pay for the advice and expertise of a professional. If |
| such as becoming a Certified Financial Planner (CFP) | | | | you can afford to hire a financial adviser, they may |
| or Certified Public Accountant (CPA). They usually | | | | be able to help you a lot. |
| have extensive knowledge in personal money | | | | As much help as they can be, financial advisers are |
| management, investing, financial planning, estate | | | | not always necessary. If you are having trouble |
| planning, and other financial aspects. Sometimes they | | | | saving money as it is that it won't do you any good |
| are stock brokers that have retired and want to try | | | | to blow your money on more advice. What's great |
| a different profession which gives them extensive | | | | about today is that we have so many books on |
| stock market research. | | | | finance and the internet full of information that we |
| Financial advisers can be found in firms, as individuals, | | | | really don't need to hire someone else to do it all for |
| or through an employer. Most often, they charge | | | | us. If you just spend some time reading and studying |
| fees for consultations, mutual fund managements, | | | | on your own, you can learn all the basics to start |
| and other financial services. They can offer you a lot | | | | managing your own money efficiently. |
| of good concrete advice in the finance area. Should | | | | I encourage you to teach yourself. Books are not |
| you pay for this advice? | | | | expensive; you could even check some out at the |
| Many people know very little about finance. This is a | | | | library. Save a few hundred dollars a year by |
| shame because it is financial illiteracy that leads | | | | investing a couple hours a week reading and learning. |
| people into debt and causes them to make poor | | | | You might even save yourself from getting bad |
| money choices. It would be great if they taught | | | | advice. The more you know, the more you can help |
| finance in high school as a mandatory course, but in | | | | yourself. If you still can't manage, get advice from |
| most places, it's just not done. How can we fill this | | | | outside help now and then, just don't depend too |
| void? | | | | heavily on it. |
| One way to do this is to hire someone to give you | | | | |