Normalizing Financial Advice
“Nobody realizes that some people expend tremendous energy merely to be normal.”
Growing up, I thought financial advisors were for people who:
1) had lots of money
-and/or-
2) were retired
Neither of those traditional situations described me in my early adult life, so I concluded that I wasn’t ready for a financial professional.
Furthermore, hiring a financial professional felt like inviting a stranger to come look in my financial closets and dig through my dirty financial laundry.
It was intimidating and scary to imagine someone telling me that I was getting it wrong.
Because even though my finances were a mess, we were still - at the end of the day - getting by. I was doing my best to keep up with the demands of life and needed an “attagirl” and a hug, not another set of judgmental eyes.
I didn’t believe in myself or my ability to make changes, and didn’t want to waste someone else’s time or waste money that I didn’t have. It sounds weird to say this out loud, but hiring a financial advisor (as I understood it then) didn’t make sense as a financial priority.
Also, at the time, I wasn’t motivated to save for the purpose of investing. I just wanted to be able to write checks that wouldn’t bounce. I didn’t feel like I fit the description of a financial advisor’s typical client.
The reality is that people simply do not know when it is appropriate to reach out to a financial advisor.
I’ve encountered many others who were also unsure - at some point - when to begin looking for someone who could help them with their money questions. In fact, this feeling is not represented by only a few collected personal anecdotes. Large studies within the financial services field corroborate this conflict as well.
If you’re feeling stuck in the middle, I’d like to start by normalizing a few things that might help you find your way forward.
It’s okay not to know if you need a financial advisor.
Sometimes we aren’t sure if we need to visit the doctor.
Sometimes we aren’t sure if we want to sign up for that gym membership.
Sometimes we aren’t sure if we want to take that job.
Or do that thing. Or make that purchase. Or go out on that date. Or…or…or….
Point being: We don’t always know what we need to do. And that’s absolutely okay. And it’s also okay to feel that way about money decisions.
A great financial advisor will meet you where you are.
Not where you should be.
Not where you think you could be.
But RIGHT. WHERE. YOU. ARE.
While not every advisor is set up to meet the needs of every person they meet (think specialties, like with the medical field), great advisors have great networks that they lean into to help people get connected to the right professionals.
You deserve to be met where you’re at.
For too long, I lived in a world (mostly self-made) where I believed I only deserved the things that I had worked my a** off to achieve. Since my financial situation was a bit of a mess for a decade, I didn’t think I deserved help. I felt like I needed to prove myself in some way in order to earn the help, to deserve the help.
There are several problems with living this way, and the big ones I came face to face with were:
Who gets to decide when I’ve done “enough”?
Who gets to determine that I was worthy of receiving help and guidance?
How much more work needed to be done in order to satisfy this hypothetical standard?
Who would be the one to let me know that I had reached that point?
The truth is that EVERYONE can benefit from having a financial advisor.
Hiring a financial advisor might include advice centered around investing, but also it might not. Because financial decisions are different in your 20’s vs 50’s, and because every person has a different money story and life path, your goals are going to be as unique to you as your fingerprint.
Although you can wait until a sudden wealth event or retirement to hire an advisor to help you with managing your money, you could also hire a financial advisor to help you with a job transition. Or with saving money for your kids’ future education needs. Or to put away money to go on a big vacation. Or to balance the budget and prioritize emergency savings when financial needs are pulling you in a thousand directions.
Your goals are worthy of advice, no matter who you are, what you know, where you’ve been, where you’re at, or where you’re headed.
~Jess
P.S. I'd love to hear from you! Have you ever considered hiring a financial advisor? If you have but never took that step, what held you back?
Whenever you’re ready, there are 3 ways I can help you!
Organize Your Money Course: Are you ready to take control of your financial future, instead of letting it control you? This course will help relieve your financial anxiety and get you back on track.
Book a 1-on-1 Meeting: Whether you’re looking for assistance with your financial planning needs or are in the financial industry and you want to learn how to grow your practice, I can help.
Lake Avenue Financial: If you’re looking to build a relationship with a team who can help simplify, educate, relieve the stress caused by money decisions and make sure you are on your way to financial independence, we are here to help!
Let’s Step Forward Together.
Each week, the Step Forward newsletter provides readers with tips, uplifting stories and actionable steps to guide them through their financial journey.
Join today and receive my free Money Goals Worksheet!