I’m sure you saw the big weather events in the northeast this past week with the latest epic blizzard. The weather forecasters worked everyone into a tizzy proclaiming the biggest blizzard in the history of NYC and surrounding areas.
The ensuing hysteria prompted the governors of most of the northeast region to declare states of emergency.
Now I’m all for being prepared, but the actual storm was not of historic proportions for the vast amount of the projected area. There were certainly some areas that were hit pretty hard, but in other areas mere inches fell.
The news showed empty store shelves with no bread, eggs or milk left as people scrambled for the storm of the century.
All of this got me thinking about how we are hit on a daily basis with confusing messages about our finances and retirement planning.
On one hand you have a group of people in your face telling you that you must have gold in your portfolio, another group is telling you that you must invest in tech stocks, another group is telling you that you must buy an annuity.
It’s a constant barrage of information telling you that if you don’t do this or that, that you won’t be prepared for your retirement or you may be risking your retirement.
What do almost all of these people have in common?
They are trying to sell you something!
That’s why if you read nothing else today, I want you to understand why it’s so important to work with someone who is a Fiduciary.
The Legal dictionary defines a Fiduciary as “an individual in whom another has placed the utmost trust and confidence to manage and protect property or money. The relationship wherein one person has an obligation to act for another’s benefit.”
So when you work with a Fiduciary, they aren’t trying to sell you something. Instead, they are working in your best interest to find the very best investment products to fulfill your individual needs and goals. They aren’t beholden to a big Wall Street bank or firm who only pushes their own investment products. They have the ability to offer you everything available without a conflict of interest.
At Madrona Financial Services, we are proud to act as Fiduciaries for our clients. As a matter of fact we think anything else is a conflict of interest. This is your retirement and your closest ally should be your financial advisor.
