In addition to the obvious financial benefits like helping clients set important goals and stay on track financially, financial advisers can transform their lives for the better, says Mr Mike Salierno, founder and financial planner at Eterna Generational Planners.
- Provide a global view of a client’s finances
A financial adviser can serve a unique role that goes beyond mere investing advice or asset management. A good financial adviser is one who does not take a “siloed approach,” but rather meets clients where they are at with their specific financial needs by looking at the entire picture of their finances and stage of life, including the near-term of their finances and focusing on upcoming events in their lives.
- Help figure out clients’ life goals
A good financial adviser should also help clients clarify their life’s ambitions, asking questions like “What goals do you have for your personal life? What trips do you want to take? What experiences do you want to share with your family, and why?”
- Explore clients’ psychology of money
A big part of a financial adviser’s job is having important conversations about clients’ relationship to money — not just now, but historically, asking questions like “How has money for them growing up shaped their viewpoint on money today?”. Advisers should know about the psychological aspects of their clients versus just the financial aspects, and incorporate that knowledge into the financial planning.
- Reframe clients’ relationship with money
Another important role that an adviser plays is helping clients see money as the tool that it is. For many clients, money isn’t everything, so the conversation has to be more centred around what clients want money to do for them. The ultimate goal is to help clients figure out how to use money to focus on what is important in their lives, both now and in the future.
- Tell clients what they need (but may not want) to hear
One of the hardest parts of a financial planner’s job is telling clients what they need to hear and not always what they want to hear. This is where a financial adviser’s role crosses over somewhat into a counseling role. Sometimes advisers need to help clients understand the actions that they are doing today are not in line with the overall financial plan or the goals that were set out in initial conversations.
- Act as a sounding board
A sign that an adviser has a successful relationship with clients is when they reach out for a variety of different reasons to make decisions. For example, some clients will call and say, “Hey, I’m at a car dealership. I’m about to make a decision on this vehicle. Do you mind looking over the deal? Do you mind making sure that this is something I should be doing?'” These conversations help clients feel at ease and help validate their decisions now, as well as in the future.
- Become a trusted friend
If enough trust has been built up, the relationship between clients and financial advisors can act much like a friendship. The goal is to get to a stage where advisers and clients are at that level where they can see each other at a public place and enjoy talking about non-financial things for 20 minutes together. A good way to achieve this is to regularly invite clients to non-financial planning related events to get to know them better.
This is an abridged version of an article that first appeared on GoBankingRates.