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April is Financial Literacy Month and a great time to focus on financial education. A lack of financial preparedness has huge societal costs, and in the coming years as Americans age, these costs will likely increase. There are daunting challenges facing not only the poor but also the working middle class.

There’s plenty of opportunity out there for someone who’s unethical to take advantage of good people. That’s especially true when that someone is a financial advisor, so investors need to carefully select whom to trust. What some advisers do may not be criminal, but it’s still unethical because it’s not in clients’ best interests.

An individual’s credit score can impact many areas of life, particularly when it comes to homeownership – yet few, especially Millennials, seem to fully understand how it’s calculated and how it may be improved. In fact, 74% of college students don’t even know their credit score!

When looking for any professional advisor, it is important to be able to match their characteristics, temperament, client profile and experience level to your own profile.

Remember way back to your first paycheck. The moment you open the envelope anticipating the windfall when all your hard work pays off. Then, like a swift kick to your gut, realty hits. Your takeaway earnings are almost always way lower than what you expected.

Markets crash all the time. You should, at minimum, expect stocks to fall at least 10% once a year, 20% once every few years, 30% or more once or twice a decade, and 50% or more once or twice during your lifetime. Those who don't understand this will eventually learn it the hard way.

Someone emailed me last week asking why this is:

If you have stepped into our office over the last few months you have seen the updates! New carpet, new paint, new lighting – and we’ve even taken out a few walls!! For those of you who visited in the midst of the renovation, we appreciate your understanding.

Creating a comprehensive estate plan to deal with your assets and provide for your loved ones after your death is one of the most rewarding tasks you can undertake. You will feel an enormous sense of accomplishment when you complete your estate plan. You see, the state already has a will for you (sometimes referred to as the “intestacy” statute).

Dollar-Cost Averaging

So, what is dollar-cost averaging?

     Dollar-Cost Averaging: The technique of buying a fixed dollar amount of a particular investment on a regular schedule, regardless of the share price.

            -Investopedia

While nearly everyone could benefit from working with a professional financial planner, the cost is often prohibitive. There comes a time, however, when paying for financial advice becomes a solid investment in your future. How do you know when it’s time to hire a financial advisor?