There are no shortcuts

You will always need a financial education. There are no shortcuts. A common mistake I see with those seeking to invest their money, is the temptation to abdicate the decision making based solely on relationships. Let me explain:

You have money and want to invest it. Where do you start? You call your buddy from church or school who is a financial advisor and off you go. This is a terrible idea. The only way to start your financial journey is with your own education. You must know the material well enough that you can sort through the garbage in the financial advice industry. Do you know what an expense ratio is? Load funds? Index fund performance? Spiva report? Tax efficient investing?

Without this knowledge you will most certainly fail when hiring a financial advisor. The upside to learning how to invest yourself is you may just decide to do it on your own, which is the best way to go. A second set of eyes on your plan by yours truly is the perfect way to do it.