EasyBlog

Since the Great Recession began in 2008, there have been unlimited doomsday commentaries about the rise in Federal debt and the coming collapse of the U.S. dollar:

• The U.S. budget deficit grew another $53 billion.

• Debt as a percentage of GDP is growing.

• The Chinese prefer gold to U.S. dollars.

Life is full of uncertainty.  We as humans crave certainty, but life doesn’t offer it to us.

Over the past decade, I’ve heard lots of concerns about the economy and stock market.  And, we’ve been constantly reminded that what lies ahead is uncertain.

The headlines are filled with "Market Falls on …Recession Concerns …Unemployment Report …Gridlock in the Capital.”  “The Markets Rally on … Jobs Report …Earnings Surprise … Fed Rate Cut.”  Take your pick.  The possibilities are endless.

When it comes to financial planning most people would agree that they "should" have a financial plan.

So why is it that 70% of US households don't have a financial plan?"

People come up with all kinds of reasons why they haven’t planned for their financial future:

There is a lot of confusion about how different types of financial “professionals” work. On one hand, you have brokers or registered representatives (RR) who work for broker-dealers and insurance agents who represent insurance companies. On the other, you have investment advisors (IAR) who work for Registered Investment Advisors (RIA). While people use the generic term financial advisor to describe all three, there is a substantive and legal difference among them.

(The term financial advisor did not exist until the late 1990s and was a deliberate and brilliant marketing tactic to recast product sales people (i.e., brokers and agents) in a more positive light and blur the distinction among RR, agents and IARs). Suitability or Fiduciary?

RR’s and insurance agents work on the suitability standard. This means that as long as they get information about your net worth, determine how much risk you can handle and verify that you are financially qualified, he or she can recommend a product that is not necessarily in your best interest. You bear all the risk. Suitability is essentially a “buyer beware” standard filled with conflicts of interests.