All investors must hone and honor their intuition. In concrete terms, this means that you must learn to be on the watch for red flags. Insist that the planner explains investing terminology with enough clarity that you leave his or her office confident enough to explain your investment to a third party. Do not allow your financial planner to push risky investments if you have clearly stated your desire not to take on too much risk. Insist on paperwork that articulates how they will charge you, ask for a written relationship summary, and review your retirement goals routinely. This must include an update of your year-to-date return on all investments and your return since the onset of investing with your planner. If s/he refuses to do this, end your relationship and file a formal grievance through FINRA.
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