You’re ready to get organized, grow your money and get a jumpstart on big goals like retirement, paying down debt or even that family vacation you’ve been dying to take — so you finally take the plunge and book an appointment with a financial advisor.
What can you expect from your first meeting with an advisor?
Your first meeting is a discovery session. This is a chance for your advisor to learn about your personal goals. It takes about an hour. After that, your advisor may ask you to find any additional financial documents for your follow-up meeting. The second meeting will usually be about a month out. This will help your advisor make the best, customized suggestions for you.
It’s key to have the right information with you because the more transparent you are, the more your advisor can help you make progress on your goals, budget for the things that are important to you today and see your financial big picture.
Bring your significant other if you have one, because you both need to be involved. And bring pen and paper, because you want to take notes and really be open-minded about the process.
Your financial advisor wants to get a sense of your assets and liabilities so they can assess your situation. And if you’ve ever had a financial plan in the past, bring that so your advisor can understand what you’ve been working with.
If you don’t have a budget, bring your credit card or debit card statements, because then he or she will be able to see trends in your spending or know, for example, if you’re eating out all the time.
Contact one of our advisors to give you more of the information that you want.