You may be thinking, “Great, a book by a financial advisor. I’d better hold on to my wallet.”
I get it. The financial services field doesn’t have the best reputation. There are plenty of advisors who are really just salespeople, selling products that produce a nice income for them, but aren’t the best fit for their clients.
That makes me angry for several reasons. First and foremost, I don’t work that way. I really consider myself more of a financial educator than a financial advisor. In fact, I think education is the most important service I offer my clients. Even more important than results (Although, my clients will tell you they’re very pleased with the results they get). That’s because when it comes to financial planning, particularly retirement planning, it’s all about making informed decisions. Getting the information you need from someone you trust.
I considered putting that last word in bold font. Because trust is our most valuable commodity, and it’s the most difficult one to earn. So, when people hear about those people in our industry who are unethical (because those are the ones that make the news), and then try to paint me with that same brush, it makes my job of earning their trust that much harder.
But I’ll never back away from that challenge.
In fact, earning trust and educating people are what led me to this book. When I meet with a prospective client, they don’t ask me about fees or rate of return. They try to get a sense of me as a person. They’re looking for someone they can trust with their future.
Once they become a client, they want information. They want to be educated. They want to know things like why something that’s happening on the other side of the world could be impacting their retirement.
Then, they want to use this information to make decisions with confidence, always knowing that I’m there to guide them every step of the way. Just as important, they know I’m not the only one on their team. There’s another important word. Retirement planning takes a team. And just like a winning team in any sport doesn’t consist only of players who all do the exact same thing, a strong financial team has members who are skilled in different areas.
That’s my concept for this book. The interviews are filled with valuable information on a range of topics. The professionals I interviewed share their knowledge with you, and provide insights on issues that can impact anyone’s retirement.
I think you’ll learn a lot from these interviews. I know I did. In fact, a number of these topics are ones I wanted to learn more about.
So, think of this book as one-stop shopping when it comes to retirement. Information you need, on topics that matter, from professionals you never would have met.
And no sales pitch!