Hi azmom, Anyone uses a financial planner? You bet... I've surrounded myself with them (but it's my industry anyway... and I have an "immersive" nature as well....) What kind of service/assistance do you recieve from your financial planner? There are many angles to financial planning... and although I know of firms that CAN offer something from every perspective, I have RARELY FOUND* a single individual who can effectively "step back" and look at the entire big picture and actually apply the various critical knowledge details to map out a full, comprehensive plan. (*The ONLY exception being "fee only" professionals who are not compensated on transaction frequency or account sizes... but either hourly fees (no incentive against your best interests... but really no incentive FOR your best interests either,) or an annual percentage of your total Net Worth GROWTH (which means they win when/if you win, and get less, or nothing, if you do not win... little or no compensation for financially 'treading water.') From a very HIGH LEVEL, GENERAL perspective, the areas that need to be coordinated and planned are; A) Assets (this is what much of the industry solely focuses on,) B) Risk Coverage (mostly done with insurance... which, unfortunately, is too rarely "planned" and too frequently "pushed." Everyone who is beyond being single, renting a shared room and earning minimum wage, needs SOME degree of protective coverage... The more you have (income, assets, dependents, etc.,) the more you need further levels of properly fit coverage... however, as with food "more is not necessarily better." Being properly custom FIT with coverage is the critical piece a planner needs to be able to do... and that changes (just like human bodies being fit for clothes) over time. C) Safe Savings (and the avoidance of 'deadening' the family portfolio by putting TOO MUCH in 'safe' savings when it may be neither safe, nor properly earning what the family needs it to earn.) D) LEVERAGE/DEBT Management. Eliminating 'naked debt' is critical... but too often confused with the use of 'tax-preferenced asset leverage.' Debts such as consumer credit generally reduce the family net worth and safety, while properly used tax-preferenced asset leverage (mortgages and business credit) generally increase family net worth and safety. The critical issue is how to know which is which, and how to treat them (which are polar opposites.) E) Tax Planning. Waiting until it's time to do your tax returns before you pay attention to your tax details is analogous to going to a single aerobics class once a year and wondering why you can't catch your breath. Some people are comfortable (or willing to struggle) with the basic forms of tax returns once a year... but MOST people are confused & overwhelmed by the moving-target details of structuring your financial life so that you are "least bitten" by the tax wolves. Just the difference of keeping 10% more of what is yours every year (and having it work in compounding returns) is a HUGE piece in the puzzle of what you are left with at retirement... and having someone who lives, eats, and breathes (and stays sane) in the world of taxes and the IRS code changes is a critical support. How did you find him/her? A) I lurk (and participate) at various financial communities online (like this one... though I don't know any other planners here...) B) I ask those I know (and am impressed by) for introductions to others THEY know in ancillary expertise fields. What are your expectations of the service? Someone who LOVES the corner of the industry they specialize in, and just devours the concepts on an ongoing basis. I seek "no b.s." sincerety and integrity... someone I COULD trust to toss my house-keys to if they were in town while I was away on vacation. Someone who has the same perspective on comprehensive and balanced planning... same ideas about life, and what "retirement" does and does not mean... and the ability to truly LISTEN, and if they do not understand, to ASK.... What is the fee structure? Is it worthwhile to use the service? Above are my perspectives on BEST fee structures. Since I have no single "captain" (but reserve that hat for myself) I have different incremental arrangements with the players on my 'financial support board.' For anyone desiring to NOT wear the "captain's hat" I would recommend SELECTING a 'captain' (or "lead advisor") with the idea that they will NOT be relied on to be the "one size fits all specialist" (which is simply unrealistic) but rather the "quarterback" for the professional team YOU OWN who are all facing the same goalposts that you are, and win when you win. Is it worthwhile? If you choose your professionals carefully, and stay in regular contact so THEY know they are taking you where you want to go... DEFINITELY! Cheers, Dave Donhoff Strategic Equity & Mortgage Planner

Most of the work is done by a month out in my experience. If you have a wedding consultant, my experience was that they have a great referral list for people who are talented and reliable. Otherwise, the bride will need to get solid referrals for all the people the bride will hire--invitations, calligraphy, flowers, cake, music, caterer, photographer(s), decorating, etc. She will also know when you need a push or when you are on time and use a planning schedule. And she'll be a great source of advice for helping you make all sorts of decisions that will result in a beautiful day. On the wedding day, the planner is great with helping with any bridesmaid or bride dressing emergencies, and then in keeping all the parts of the event going so that there is no lag time or slip ups. I was able to enjoy more of the wedding because she was on the job.

Elmer - I know for the uninitiated that your above post will seem reasonable. However, for people who know anything about this subject your post doesn't make any sense at all. You appear guilty of exactly what you are accusing others of, speaking about things that you are not familiar with. Let's look at why - by looking at your statement. An investment manager IS a "fiduciary" under the law, no agreement is needed to establish that from a duty and responsibility standpoint. There is really no such thing as an investment manager, nor does calling yourself one mean that you have a fiduciary duty. Many people call themselves investment managers, most of those are brokers. A Registered Investment Advisor (RIA) has a fiduciary duty. Investment manager isn't currently a licensed or recognized designation. So right out of the gate you don't even know the proper terminology, and the terminology is hugely important in this case, because you can't establish a legal requirement for a made up job. Terminology aside let's look at the implication. There is a regulation that notes anyone who is being paid by someone for financial advice owes them a fiduciary duty. However, this has been thoroughly tested in the courts and so long as you work on commissions you don't have a fiduciary responsibility as you are not being paid by the client. You are operating as a salesman rather than an advisor (see the terminology is back again). A financial planner, financial manager, retirement planner, investment manager, investment planner, some CFP's and just about anyone else who works on a commission only basis doesn't have a fiduciary responsibility to the customer (because they are just customers) at this time. Generally speaking, if the fees are on the front end you are a lot better off. However, they can still be both an advisor with a fiduciary duty and a broker with only the duty of due care. So long as the paid advice met a fiduciary standard, products like "the new investment product that would be great for you," doesn't have to. In reality most of the "professionals" who offer these services, such as the ones you see advertised all over television, are not currently fiduciaries. Of the investment professionals, only RIA's typically have a full time fiduciary responsibility. A CFP may choose to operate with a full time fiduciary duty but they are not barred from being brokers. Furthermore, anyone who isn't aware of this problem isn't paying attention. The Department of Labor has a new rule set to begin this Sunday that notes if you are dealing with qualifying ERISA funds then you have a fiduciary responsibility. The abuse of commissioned investments has gotten so bad that the DOL had to step in, going around Congress and the investment lobby, to institute a rule that should have been there the whole time. The rule, the uproar from brokerages and President Trump's delaying of it has been all over the financial news for a solid 18 months. This new rule only applies to managing ERISA type retirement accounts but since that is such a large portion of the business it probably gives some coverage to everyone. We should also note that things may not change that much. Edward Jones has come up with a plan to disclose commissions but still take them. I personally don't see how anyone can be a fiduciary when advising clients between different investments with wildly different commissions. Maybe the use of this term to describe an agreement was generic rather than specific, but that wouldn't normally be what it is called or even referred to as in such an agreement itself. I don't understand what you are saying here. A fiduciary agreement is exactly what it is called. I guess you can call it a fiduciary contract or a fiduciary clause if part of a larger contract, and maybe even a fiduciary letter, but it is just something signed by the professional that notes he agrees to act only in a fiduciary capacity when managing your investments. AKA... An agreement. Finally, I cut and paste a couple of quick things from Google because I have just spent a decent amount of time responding to an inane comment. I didn't want to commit to a long post when so many other people have already put forth that effort. I gave two highly reputable sources (the Motley Fool and Marketwatch) and your only response was some nonsense about those only being words and their credentials. Unlike us, those were not anonymous people posting on a message board. The level of hubris required of anonymous poster on a gardening forum to claim that articles on financial forums are inadequate because you can't check the credentials of the author is astounding. It isn't like either of us is throwing a bio up to be verified by these readers... Here are a few more "just words" for you. Are you a CFP? Which FINRA series are you licensed for?

as far as I understood they repair while they mitigate..I suppose different crews at work, but one can't just remediate without replacing whatever's damaged. one needs to get estimates though-what's happenning, where, what it entails..it is overwhelming, we also spent couple months just being in shock and drinking wine, even though ours didn't present any safety issues unless being disturbed. Then one takes a deep breath and starts calling.. and sources for leaks should be all taken care of, no question I'd start with a mold guy and a GC..to put some picture together insulate the house..drywall comes out for that..you might be surprized at the state of black paper too..we patched ours, overall was not bad.. or else would be easier to take the house down..asbestos-we had to remediate it 'cause was everywhere..but yes, now the house' s insulated)) and we're in Southern CA, no snow-but makes sense for a house to be insulated. roof-was still fine yet we did have to change lots of stuff there since was at the end of its cycle. and we didn't have leaks, mold, etc nothing structural too. and wiring was fine. still..life experience I could easily live without lol but hey..everything learned in comparison. I had this phrase I'd be telling myself "Nobody shoots yet? okay then". I got it in my head to automatic level. It popped up even when I didn't need it. Like a broken record. Yet it helped. In order to do stuff one needs to keep himself functional..)) as for Craigslist etc don't worry..half of our place is craigslisted, etsied, ebayed, blahblah. One of the best affordable ways to create, with time, a cozy and meaningful place for your family. So as to that part-a day will arrive and you'd be, like, wow, all the stories I have in our house.