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This question came from a reader who is around 60, works for a major corporation and has retirement assets in neighborhood of $1 million. He indicated he is looking to either retire or be able to retire in the near future. His question was in response to my recent request for story ideas and I appreciate this suggestion. I will address this question largely from the perspective of this person’s situation as this is the type of client I am quite familiar with.

Do I really need a financial advisor?

Do I really need a financial advisor? The only answer of course is that it depends. There are many factors to consider. Let’s take a look at a few of them.

How comfortable are you managing your own investments and financial planning issues?

This is one of the main factors to consider. The reader raised the point that the typical fees for ongoing advice on a portfolio of his size would likely be $8,000-$10,000 per year and wondered if the fee is worth it.

Certainly there is the issue of managing his portfolio. It sounds like he has a significant 401(k) plan balance. This will involve a decision whether to leave that money at his soon to be former employer or roll it to an IRA. Beyond this decision is the issue of managing his investments on an ongoing basis. And taking it a step further the fee level mentioned previously should include ongoing comprehensive financial planning advice not just investment advice.

Since it is likely that his 401(k) contains company stock (based upon who he works for) he has the option of electing the Net Unrealized Appreciation (NUA) treatment of this stock as opposed to rolling the dollars over to an IRA. This is a tactic that can save a lot in taxes but is a bit complex.

Can you be objective in making financial decisions?

The value of having someone look at your finances with a detached third-party perspective is valuable. During the 2008-09 stock market down turn did you panic and sell some or all of your stock holdings at or near the bottom of the market? Perhaps a financial advisor could have talked you off of the ledge.

I’ve seen many investors who could not take a loss on an investment and move on. They want to at least break-even. Sometimes taking a loss and redeploying that money elsewhere is the better decision for your portfolio.

Can you sell your winners when needed and rebalance your portfolio back to your target allocation when needed?

Do you enjoy managing your own investments and finances?

This is important. If don’t enjoy doing this yourself will you spend the time needed not only to monitor your investments but also to stay current with the knowledge needed to do this effectively?

In the case of this reader I suggested he consider whether this is something that he wanted to be doing in retirement.

What happens if you die or become incapacitated?

This is an issue for anyone. Often in this age bracket a client who is married may have a spouse who is not comfortable managing the family finances. If the client who is interested and capable in this area dies or becomes incapacitated who will help the spouse who is now thrust into this unwanted role?

Not an all or nothing decision

Certainly if you are comfortable (and capable) of being your own financial advisor at retirement or any stage of life you should do it. This is not an irreversible decision nor is there anything that says you can’t get help as needed.

For example you might hire a financial planner to help you do a financial plan and an overall review of your situation. You might then do most of the day to day work and engage their services for a periodic review. There are also financial planners who work on an hourly as needed basis for specific issues.

Whatever decision that you do make, try to be as objective as possible. Have you done a good job with this in the past? Will the benefits of the advice outweigh the fees involved? Are you capable of doing this?

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