Of course I am biased, but I think everyone needs some financial guidance and the timing of the advice can be just as crucial. My most dreaded appointments are with people who are about to retire and they haven't saved enough for retirement. What a difficult thing to tell a person who is in their 60's!!! Doing the analyis while you are in your 40's (or earlier) is a much better option because, at least if you are short, you still have some income generating years to do something about it. Not that I see this issue that often but ....what if you are saving too much? It's important to enjoy your life while you are young enough to do so while not compromising your retirement years. Think of it this way....you work 40 years....if you work from 25 to 65 and if you live to be 90 then you have to save for 25 years of income replacement. That's a lot of savings and if you love golf and travelling then those expensive hobbies mean that you have to save even more to enjoy the lifestyle that you want in retirment.
Retirement assessments are only part of what a financial planner does....or, at least a good one. There are tax considerations, estate planning needs (especially in most of today's two family scenarios), divorce calculations, remarriage considerations not to mention insurance needs such as long term care, critical illness and life insurance issues.
Whether you have a small fortune or a rather large one it's important to consider all of your financial options...before it's too late...........
