3 ways to quickly check if you need a financial planner

3 ways to quickly check if you need a financial planner

Personal finance and investments related advice is omnipresent today. Open any regular newspaper and they have a daily page devoted to personal finance. Surf the TV and even normal entertainment and mainline news channels have programs which “help” customers on their personal finances and give product-related advice. On most infotainment portals, Personal Finance is a separate section and every few articles, one on personal finance advice pops up.

 

This surfeit of information has created a not-so-desirable impact for us though – easy access and availability of so much information makes us think that we now “know enough” and can even “do it ourselves”. That said, there is an information overdose even on the products side, so how does one be sure? That’s where financial planners and advisors come in. In our experience, hiring a financial planner is usually a big decision for people to make, and hence they end up delaying both this decision as well as their investment decisions, doing themselves more financial harm in the process.

 

So, how can you decide if you need a financial planner to help you with your personal finances? I am sharing below 3 simple thumb-rules which can help you decide. If your answer to even one of these is a NO, then you surely need one.

 

 

 

RULE 1 – THE SAVINGS RULE – Save at least “your Age %” of post-tax income

 

What – At age 25, you should be saving at least 25% of your post-tax income, and as you grow older, this % should increase beyond your age. Eg. at age 35 should be 40-45% and at age 45 should be 50-60%.

 

Why – Remember, for every year you work, you will live a year, possibly even more, post-retirement. Now, even assuming that your needs in retirement are more spartan than when you are young, unless you save an average of 40% of your income across your working life span, you may end up not having enough to fund your retirement.

 

 

RULE 2 – THE NET WORTH RULE – Your NW should be at least “(your Age * Pre-tax annual Income) / 10”

 

What – Your Net Worth is defined as your Assets minus your Liabilities. Do not include the house that you stay in, unless you are willing to liquidate it and move into a smaller one.

 

Why – This rule helps you assess 2 things – how much your savings have transformed into assets and how over-leveraged you are in terms of liabilities. Also, this is a “minimum” rule, to check whether you have “enough”. To understand whether you are “wealthy”, multiply this by 2 (or more). Eg. If you are 40 and your pre-tax income is Rs. 50 lakhs per year, then your minimum Net Worth should be (40 * 50 lakh) / 10 = Rs 2 Cr. Remember this is net of your liabilities and the house you are staying in.

 

 

RULE 3 – THE ROI (RETURN ON INVESTMENTS) RULE – Your investments should grow at minimum your country’s nominal GDP rate

 

What – Return on Investments is the rate at which your investments are growing on an annualized basis. Nominal GDP is Inflation + Real GDP. Your investments include both real and financial assets (excluding the house where you stay).

(NOTE: An easy rule to calculate your current ROI is the Rule of 72 – Divide 72 by the number of years it took you to double the value of your investments. Eg. If your investments were Rs 2 Cr in 2012 and today their value is Rs 4 Cr, ie. took approx. 7 years to double in value, the approx. ROI you have generated is 72/7 ~ 10%).

 

Why – In an Indian context, the nominal GDP over the next couple of decades can be conservatively estimated to be around 10% (4% Inflation + 6% real GDP growth). Preferably, add 1-2% to this, since lifestyle inflation is usually higher, and investment returns can be much more volatile than national Inflation/GDP, hence some buffers are needed so that you don’t fall short as you near financial goal horizons. So, a good number to plan for is 12%.

 

 

BONUS RULE – THE “PEACE OF MIND, NOT PIECE OF MIND” RULE

Benjamin Graham once said “The investor’s chief problem – and even his worst enemy – is likely to be himself”. And as if on cue, Jack Bogle said “An advisor serves as an emotional circuit-breaker, so you don’t abandon a well-thought-out plan”.

Frequent, sometimes even addictive perusal of “information” ends up making us over-reactive and take wrong decisions in the short-term, apart from stressing us out. A good financial planner allows you to forget about your money worries and gives you peace of mind, while also acting as a safety-net to prevent you from taking wrong money decisions.

 

 

So, use the above 3 rules to quickly check whether you need a financial planner to help you manage your finances. And use the bonus rule to assess whether your money is worrying you, rather than working for you.

 

 

Image Credit: TheDigitalWay, Pixabay

 

Rule 2 Credit: While the other 2 rules are commonly used thumb rule, Rule 2 is formulated by the authors of the book “The Millionaire Next Door”

 

Finwise is a personal finance solutions firm that helps both NRI and resident individuals and families plan for their financial goals, follow their passions and achieve financial independence.

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