When the topic of professional financial advice comes up, it can be easy to assume that you are the exception that proves the rule – that you don’t earn enough, or invest enough, or that your assets are simple enough that you can simply manage them yourself.

True, financial advice is an absolute necessity for clients with large savings accounts, funds, offshore assets, and diverse investment portfolios, but that’s not to say it’s a service limited to the few. Sound financial advice benefits anyone and everyone.

But, with so much information and guidance available online – in books and on TV – why invest your time and money into enlisting the help of a professional financial advisor? Here are just a few reasons to head our advice.

1. The advice will apply to you, and you alone

For any specialist subject, it’s good that the internet can act as a sort of springboard for non-experts, but there is a limit to how much it can help – and a point at which it’s likely to do more harm than good.

Financial advice columns and guides are quite broad in the advice they offer because they have to be. They are written for a type of person – maybe of a certain age or income – rather than a specific person, with their own unique situation, questions, requirements, and concerns.

A financial advisor is not there to reel off general advice, but to tailor their extensive experience and knowledge to every client that comes through their doors.

This also means that they won’t home in exclusively on one particular area, but to treat that area – whether investments, retirement, inheritance, or insurance – as part of a much broader picture. For obvious reasons, this will prove far more advantageous in the long run and ensure that your financial situation (rather than just one aspect of it) is optimised.

In essence, you can’t get one cog in motion without getting all the other cogs working too.

2. Work out where you stand with regard to your personal goals

The housing market is infamously volatile but, much of the time, that volatility is an abstract notion. As of 2022, however, most of us have witnessed first-hand quite how volatile things can be, and quite how remote the idea of owning a home can seem to get.

In reality, it doesn’t need to feel quite that hopeless, but getting proactive is the only way to get past the roadblock. Without that advice, all you have to go on is your savings account, fluctuating market prices, and the numbers quoted to you by a mortgage broker.

A financial advisor ultimately knows how to get the most out of a client’s financial situation – and that includes ensuring that you stay financially healthy as you take on the biggest expense you will ever have.

And, of course, financial health will prove pivotal – especially when you consider the fact that, in Bristol alone, the average sale price of a property soared by 8.1% in 2021.*

To put that into perspective, that’s an average increase of £25,000, a major discouragement to prospective buyers – and, of course, a perfect example of why seeking out financial advice in Bristol could be the key that unlocks the door.

3. Regain control over your incomings, outgoings, and savings…

Financial stress, and fears over managing money properly, consistently rank as some of the most significant things we worry about. The issue is frequently exacerbated by circumstances outside of our control – as it has been with alarming consistency over the past few years – and, as a result, many feel as though their financial situation is also outside of their control.

While we can ty to curb our spending, there’s no getting away from the fact that each month is defined by a long list of outgoings we can’t avoid – figures that ‘muddy the waters’ and make it difficult to save with any regularity.

Planning for the next few months, let alone years and decades, is overwhelming, and the only way to feel truly reassured is to go through it all, point-by-point, with an expert in their field.

4. …And tackle the future before it’s bearing down on you

As of 2021, less than 50% of UK adults are saving consistently for their retirement,** despite the fact that pension and retirement planning is imperative to our ability to look ahead to the future with any sense of clarity or confidence. None of us can afford to downplay the importance of having a solid plan in place, and steadily building towards it over our working years.

It’s incredibly easy to fixate on the present – or on the next few years – and get by on the idea that, when the time comes, we’ll have plenty of options available to us.

But, having no plan in place for the future means that you don’t have a strong hold on your finances now. We mentioned before how an expert financial advisor can regard your financial situation as a whole – one that comprises many different parts – and a prime example of that lies in their ability to get a solid, workable plan in place for the distant future, while ensuring you are financially secure in the present.

5. They can also secure your family’s future

It’s almost inevitable that, as we get older, we take on more and more responsibility for more and more people besides ourselves. Ensuring that your estate is in the right condition to be passed down, and to continue offering that vital line of protection to your family well into the future, is not something you can afford to ignore or delay.

While the threshold for Inheritance Tax hasn’t increased, house prices have, which means more and more of us will need to consider the (potentially major) implications of not planning for inheritance tax ahead of time. For obvious reasons, this is not a simple process, and it takes an expert to ensure the plan is watertight.

Consider the fact that 2022 saw around £6 billion in inheritance tax receipts,*** which is a daunting increase from previous years – and a red flag for anyone not prepared against it.

6. Make stronger investments with your money

Knowing how to invest – and, more importantly, how to invest wisely – is not an innate gift that some people are born with, and some people have to live without (although it can feel that way). Responsibility and a lack of confidence can make investing feel like ‘something other people do’, even though there are obvious benefits to maintaining an investment portfolio – particularly if you find yourself coming into money.

Sound financial advice is a cornerstone of a strong investment portfolio – as much as the investments themselves. They can ensure that you are putting your money into the right place, that you are in a position to manage the investments you make, and that the decisions you make are reflective of your willingness and ability to take risks, rather than what you think you’re comfortable with.

Again, this is another area where even the best-written guide or ‘How To’ cannot replace sound, personal advice from an expert in their field.

Some things are best left to the experts and working towards financial health is one of them. Perhaps you’re doing everything right and you’re in the best financial shape of your life; then again, perhaps it could be better – and can you be sure either way?

Sources:

* Olga Alexandru, Bristol World, published 7 February 202 < https://www.bristolworld.com/how-house-prices-in-bristol-compare-after-average-ps25000-increase-in-just-one-year-3557948>

** Statista Research Department, published 23 May 2022 < https://www.statista.com/statistics/452654/saving-for-retirement-united-kingdom/>

*** D. Clark, Statista, published 29 April 2022 < https://www.statista.com/statistics/284325/united-kingdom-hmrc-tax-receipts-inheritance-tax/ >