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BUSINESS LIFE

LIFE EVENTS CAN LEAD YOU TO SEE A FINANCIAL ADVISOR

By Elizabeth A. Olney

Over the years, you’ll experience many personal and professional milestones. Each of these can be satisfying, but they may also bring
challenges – especially financial ones. That’s why you may want to seek the guidance of a financial professional. Here are some of the key
life events you may encounter, along with the help a financial advisor can provide:

• NEW JOB – When you start a new job, especially if it’s your first “career-type” one, you may find that you have several questions
about planning for your financial future, including your retirement. You may have questions about how much you should contribute
to your employer-sponsored retirement plan. What investments should you choose? When should you increase your contributions
or adjust your investment mix? A financial advisor can recommend an investment strategy that’s appropriate for your goals, risk
tolerance and time horizon.

• MARRIAGE – Newlyweds often discover they bring different financial habits to a marriage. For example, one spouse may be
more of a saver, while the other is more prone to spending. And this holds true for investment styles – one spouse might be
more risk-averse, while the other is more aggressive. A financial advisor can help recommend ways for you and your spouse to
find some common ground in your saving and investment strategies, enabling you to move forward toward your mutual goals.
• NEW CHILD – When you have a child, you will need to consider a variety of financial issues. Will you be able to help the child
someday go to college? And what might happen to your child, or children, if you were no longer around? A financial advisor can
present you with some college-savings options, such as an education savings plan, as well as ways to protect your family, such as
life insurance.
• CAREER CHANGE – You may change jobs several times, and each time you do, you’ll need to make some choices about your
employer-sponsored retirement plan. Should you move it to your new employer’s plan, if transfers are allowed? Or, if permitted,
should you keep the assets in your old employer’s plan? Or perhaps you should roll over the money into an IRA? A financial
advisor can help you explore these options to determine which one is most appropriate for your needs.
• DEATH OF A SPOUSE – Obviously, the death of a spouse is a huge emotional blow, but it does not have to be a financial one
– especially if you’ve prepared by having the correct beneficiary named on retirement accounts and life insurance policies. Your
financial advisor can help ensure you have taken these steps.
• RETIREMENT – Even after you retire, you’ll have some important investment decisions to make. For one thing, you’ll need to
establish a suitable withdrawal strategy so you don’t deplete your retirement accounts too soon. Also, you still need to balance
your investment mix in a way that provides at least enough growth potential to keep you ahead of inflation. Again, a financial ad-
visor can help you in these areas.
No matter where you are on your journey through life, you will need to address important financial and investment questions, but you
don’t have to go it alone – a financial professional can help you find the answers you need.

Elizabeth Olney is a financial advisor with Edward Jones and a member of the Circle of Friends program.
She can be reached at 210-493-0753 or Elizabeth.Olney@edwardjones.com.
visit us at www.bcms.org 41