And you know how to navigate your way around the Net. And not only do you know how to forage for financial information to keep yourself abreast of economic happenings in the world, you are able to understand how those happenings affect your investments. You also know how to assess your insurance needs, and you have calculated approximately how much money you will need to put aside to put the kids through school, take care of unforeseen illness or misfortune, and retire in the manner to which you would like to be accustomed. A financial advisor is trained to help you cover all the bases. Even if you do spend some time beefing up your financial acumen by reading and surfing, for every bearish perspective on the volatile stock market you see, you can find another that is equally bullish.
Insurance is one of the more difficult areas to assess.
While many people are under insured, there is actually such a thing as being over insured. With government pension schemes regarded as a bonus by many sceptical individuals, it makes sense to prepare yourself adequately for the time when you are no longer working full time, if at all. As I have said before, there are competent and wretchedly incompetent people in every line of work, from surgery to boot polishing. Financial advisors are no different. Once you have chosen someone to work with, you will benefit most if the relationship flows both ways.