Is a Second Opinion the Next Step to Enhance Your Financial Security?
When You’re Retired, You Need to Be Sure Your Finances Are on Track
With the articles we publish here on our blog, many of which are based on content in our book Momma’s Secret Recipe for Retirement Success, we hope to take you down the path of “financial enlightenment.” We do it because some of the facts and strategies we share may be the complete opposite of what you have been told before. We want you to think differently – and to plan your retirement differently – because you have no other option than to succeed.
Your Two Retirement Planning Paths
Take a moment and think about where you are right now on your retirement planning journey because there are two paths for you to choose from:
#1 – You can “Keep Doing The Same Thing,” because you really love your current financial advisor or you really love to do the investing yourself. If you keep doing the same thing, you may keep risking your money, worrying about your money, and going without the things you saved the money for in the first place. If you take this path, we respectfully have to remind you that this may be similar to the classic definition of “insanity.” You might have heard it said this way: “Insanity is continuing to do the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” Either way you heard it, please don’t get mad at us, this phrase is thought to be attributable to Albert Einstein. If you do the same things with your money you’ve been doing for the last 20 years, you may continue to get the same financial results, and potentially continue to place your financial security, and your family’s financial security, at risk.
#2 – You can “Get A 2nd Opinion” about your money from a trained retirement planner. The planner you work with should educate you on how to protect your money by reducing your risk, increasing your income, managing income taxes, and potentially reducing your fees. And the ultimate goal is to make you far more educated about your money than you are now. The 2nd Opinion about your money will tell you exactly where you stand right now with your plans for retirement and whether everything is on track or if you need to make changes to increase your probability of success. Isn’t that what you want right now? Either to know and verify you are doing everything you should be doing right now, everything is OK, and you are on track, or if you are currently not in the best position and you need to make changes to alter your course to increase your probability of success?
SEE ALSO: What Is a ‘Safe’ Rate for Retirement Income Withdrawal?
A 2nd Opinion about your money is imperative simply because you already have your 1st Opinion; it’s exactly what you are doing right now with your money at the advice of your current advisor or on your own. By this definition, neither your current advisor nor you can give you a 2nd Opinion. Right now, if you had a major medical issue, even if you had a long-time doctor of 30 years, wouldn’t you seek a 2nd Opinion about your health? Of course, you would. You’d want to make sure you know exactly where your health stands right now and what options you have as the best treatment plan to get you as healthy as possible and as quickly as possible.
It’s the exact same thing with your money. Right now, if you’re already retired, your current assets are all you have, and you are not working and adding to your accounts any longer, so you can’t afford to lose it or waste any of it. A 2nd Opinion about your money has no risk at all to you, and you should feel no guilt whatsoever in trying to find out about your money, because it’s your money, not your advisor’s money.
Meeting with a New Financial Advisor
When you meet with a new advisor, there are generally two possible outcomes from your 2nd Opinion about your money:
1) They tell you that your current plan is on track and there may not be anything you need to do that would dramatically increase your probability of success during retirement. How would you feel if you were told everything was great? How would you feel if your success was verified? I bet you’d feel pretty good.
2) They will complete a comprehensive analysis and tell you things you should modify to increase your probability of having a successful retirement. Some people may only need to make minor changes while others will need to make major changes. But whether you need a little work or a lot of work, wouldn’t you rather find out right now that your plan for retirement has deficiencies or would you rather find out five years from now when it could be too late?
Everyone needs a 2nd Opinion about their money; it doesn’t matter who you are, the amounts or types of assets you have, or how long you have worked with your current advisor. If you are willing to spend some time working on your finances, and you meet minimum asset requirements, you may be able to find retirement advisors across the United States that will give you a free no-obligation 2nd Opinion about your money. You can request they tell you how much risk you’re taking and how you can reduce your potential for loss, the fees you’re actually paying and how you can reduce your costs, how much income you can safely take out of your accounts and guarantee it for life, how much income tax you will pay by increasing your income, and how much money you can potentially leave to your beneficiaries.
SEE ALSO: The Retirement Income Myth You Should Stop Believing
In addition, simply by going through this type of process with a qualified professional, some advisors may actually be willing to give you a free financial plan at the end of the planning process that includes a retirement income projection, a tax projection, and a beneficiary projection. We have seen some advisors provide this industry-leading level of service to retirees and pre-retirees whether you become their client or not. Wouldn’t that be cool if it was free and there was no obligation? Have them put it in writing for you. You may ask why certain professionals would conduct their business this way – so upfront, so transparent, so little pressure on the consumer? It’s so they can get in front of more clients just like you who want help and information but don’t want to feel any kind of pressure of any kind, at any time, during the process.
Is This the Moment You Take a Step Towards Greater Financial Security?
Now it’s time to take the next step, go get your 2nd Opinion about your money as soon as possible. We promise you’ll feel a lot better about your money after you do!
And, if you’d like to have a conversation with us, you can schedule one here. At Peak Financial Freedom Group, we believe it’s important that you feel you have control over your future as you work to achieve financial security in retirement. We provide a 2nd Opinion Service, and we would be happy to meet with you in person or via Zoom. Give us a call today!
