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How can a financial planner help?

Fact: Nine out of ten Australians who have used a financial planner have benefited from the experience.*   Good advice from an experienced, well-informed financial planner can help people save money, protect against risk, manage debts, grow assets, reduce tax liabilities, plan for retirement, identify entitlements for government benefits, and plan what inheritance is to be left to the next generation. So make sure that your financial planner is your first point of contact for any decisions that can impact on your financial future. Regular interaction with your planner can ensure that your financial strategy is always consistent with your goals and changing lifestyle needs. A financial planner's first responsibility is to the client, not to an employer, a product manufacturer, to him/herself or to anyone except the client. When providing personal financial advice an adviser must take into account the individual client's circumstances and goals. The advice may or many not involve the recommendation of a financial product. The role of a financial adviser is not to sell financial products. Financial planners can help a person at every stage of their life Good financial advice from a professional financial planner can play a vital role through out our lives from the time we enter the workforce. Lifestage How a financial planner can help Young adulthood Establishing life goals and strategies to achieve them First homebuyers/ Newlyweds Developing budgeting skills Devising a savings/borrowing strategy to achieve home ownership Thirty-something Developing a savings and investment plan to build long-term wealth Advice on preparing for the cost of raising children Ensuring all assets are adequately protected Forties & Fifites Tailored strategies to build a retirement nest egg Building other assets outside the family home and super Protecting against life risk Pre-retirement Asset management and strategies to minimise tax while maximising government entitlements Recommending investment strategies to maximise capital growth and regular income of retirement assets Retirement Fine-tuning investment strategies throughout retirement Estate planning Advice on tapping into non-financial assets like the family home Want to know more? Find a planner Look for a financial planner near you. How healthy is your financial life? Take our test and discover if you could benefit from a professional financial planning advice. Read our selection of consumer publications The FPA has a number of great reading materials to help guide you in getting good financial advice. Ask an Expert Expert advice just a mouse click-away. _____________ *FPA research on consumer attitudes to financial planning

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