Do I Need a Financial Advisor or Can I Do It Myself?

This video provides tips for those who want to do it themselves as well as for those who realize that a qualified financial advisor can help them implement better tax-efficient strategies than they can on their own.

Key topics covered:

  • What are the differences between stocks and bonds and what percentage of each should I have in my portfolio?
  • How can I do low-cost index investing on my own?
  • Why is it important to focus on after-tax returns?
  • Why is it important to defer ordinary income taxes until you’re in retirement and in a lower tax-bracket?
  • Why will you pay more in taxes if you put stock investments in certain retirement accounts versus in your taxable accounts?
  • Why should you not accumulate wealth to pass on to your kids in traditional IRA/401k accounts? (Hint: your beneficiaries will end up paying taxes on them when you pass away versus getting them tax-free if they’re in your taxable account)
  • How can I pay a 0% on capital gains taxes up to $80k in income?
  • Why should I pay a financial advisor 1% to 2% of my assets when I can do low-cost index investing for a fraction of the cost?
  • What is the difference between a fee-only versus a fee-based advisor?
  • What topics should I be talking to my financial advisor about?
  • What questions should I be asking a potential financial advisor to determine if they are really qualified or are just a salesman in disguise?

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Topics mentioned in video: