Are you thinking about hiring a financial planner? Teaming up with a planner could benefit you tremendously. The right person — or people — will help you to take charge of your finances and take control of your life.
With that said, you aren’t going to want to hire just anyone. You are going to want to hire someone that is at the top of their game.
How can you find the best financial advisors that are working today? One of the simplest and most effective ways to find the top names in finance is to read over best financial planners lists.
With that said, there are a lot of things you’ll have to consider when you look over those lists. Make sure you are keeping all of these things in mind:
How Recent Is The List?
Many lists of financial planners are dated. When you are comparing lists, you should try to seek out lists that are as recent as possible.
The financial landscape is constantly changing. The world is very different now than it was 10 years ago. The best financial planners in 2015 aren’t always going to be the best financial planners in 2017.
Try to find lists that were written very recently. That way, you will know that the information on those lists is up-to-date and accurate.
Is The List Focused On A Specific Area?
If you want to find a financial planner that is local to you, then you might want to look at lists that are built around your area. If you live in Dallas, then you don’t want to know who the top financial planners in New York City are. You want to learn more about the top planners in Texas.
There are a number of lists that are based around major cities. There are even lists that are based around states or regions.
If you want to work with a local planner, then try to avoid looking at the catch-all lists. Try to find lists that are a little more specialized instead.
Is The List Ranked?
Many of the “best financial planners lists” aren’t in any particular order. These lists are simply a collection of some of the top people working in this industry.
With that said, if a list is ranked, you will want to make sure you are aware of that fact. After all, if some of the financial planners on the list are stronger than others, you may want to focus your attention on them.
Most lists will walk about whether or not they are ranked when you read the introduction. Don’t assume that a list is ranked just because there are numbers assigned. In some cases, lists use numbers for the purpose of organization.
Do Any Of The Financial Advisers Have A Specialty?
A lot of people working in the financial industry have some sort of specialty. As an example, there are advisors that primarily work with people that have come into a large sum of money. There are also advisors that work with people on strengthening an investment portfolio.
If you are looking for a financial planner that can help you with something specific, then you should definitely try to hire someone that has a specialty. Lists will usually mention specialties if a planner has one.
What Kinds Of Clients Do They Normally Work With?
The top financial planners in the world have their pick of clients. They don’t have to work hard to attract business. In most cases, potential clients come directly to them. Some planners actually have to turn clients a way.
While the type of planners that reach this level of success tend to be very skilled, you may not want to work with someone like this. In some cases, you may want to find a planner that will be able to give you the bulk of their attention.
If you are looking for a planner that is talented, but will still have plenty of time to focus on you, you might want to look for a list of “up and coming” financial planners. The people on these lists tend to be very talented, but aren’t drowning in clients the way the biggest names in the industry are.
Don’t Rely On Lists Alone
While you should definitely look over some of the lists available, they shouldn’t be the only resource that you use. In addition to using lists, you should try to take advantage of some other informative tools.
For example, you may want to talk to people that have worked with a financial planner in the past. They will be able to tell you about the person they worked with and the experiences that they had.
You may also want to look at reviews that people have left for various planners. In a few cases, these kinds of informal reviews may be able to tell you more than organized lists can.
Lists can be helpful, but you can’t trust one list to make an important decision for you. You have to make sure you are taking everything into account.
As long as you keep the above things in mind, you should be able to learn a lot from the best financial planners lists that are out there. Take the time to look over these lists, and do your best to find a financial advisor that can help you.
