You want to make sure the relationship continues to serve you and your finances for the long haul-up to and through retirement. To help accomplish that goal, you’ll need to ask the right questions. You may be wondering, “What are the best questions to ask a financial advisor before retirement?” While there is no definitive list of the perfect questions to ask, here are some important questions to consider in your financial planning journey.

1. “Am I On Track To Reach My Goals?”

Regardless of your stage in life, you need to know if you are on track to reach your goals. If your advisor can’t answer this question, then you can’t expect they will actually help you reach your destination. This question is crucial because it prompts your advisor to ask you clarifying questions so that they can assess your likelihood of achieving your goals. For starters, your advisor should be well versed in your top financial goals, like when you want to retire. You should feel confident and comfortable expressing your goals to your advisor, even if they change. Goals can be challenging to define, so it can help to have a checklist. Because we specialise in retirement planning, we developed a list to help our expat clients clearly define what they want.

Whatever your goals are, ensure you put them in writing and prioritise them. Again, your advisor should be able to help with this task. Some goals may be easier to define than others. When you can, it’s best to keep the following acronym in mind while listing your goals: SMART. Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound goals bring more intention and purpose to the process. For retirement planning, here are several questions to ask a financial advisor as it relates to your goals :

• When can I retire?
• How much will my monthly fixed expenses be in retirement?
• How much do I need to plan on spending on healthcare before turning 65?
• How much should I plan on spending on healthcare upon turning age 65?
• How much can I spend on travel each year? How many years of travel should I plan on?
• Can I afford the new home improvement plan?
• What’s the best way to continue giving to charity?
• What’s the best way to give to my kids/grandkids?
• Can I afford to purchase new cars through retirement? How much and how often?
• What costs should I expect for long-term care later in retirement?
• What type of estate planning measures should I take?

2. “How Can I Gain Control of Taxes in Retirement?”

Perhaps one of the best questions to ask your financial advisor is how you can manage your taxes in retirement. An accomplished advisor can provide you with immense value in retirement through sound tax planning.

Tax planning isn’t just about lowering your tax bill for the sake of lowering your tax bill either, although that’s certainly a benefit. Taxes in retirement constitute a significant component of making your money last because reducing your tax bill directly mitigates the strain on your savings. If you ask your advisor about managing retirement taxes, they should be able to discuss specific strategies with you. Proactive tax planning is a critical area that can’t be brushed off.

3. “What Adjustments Should I Make To My Retirement Investment Portfolio?

Your advisor should also discuss all the essential elements of investment advice-including how, when, where, why, and what to invest in.

An advisor should have a solid investment strategy and a clear history of healthy investment management. Before working with them you should know if their ideas and practices align with your investment philosophy.

A qualified advisor can identify if you hold the proper asset allocation (mix between investments like equities and fixed income) for your goals and risk tolerance and whether or not your investments are appropriately diversified. Your advisor should also be able to provide investment strategies and suggestions for improvement. If your portfolio isn’t as diversified as you’d like, what will the advisor do to alter it to best fit your long-term investment needs? During this process, your advisor should also review your investment expenses and, unless you already have the lowest-cost choices, provide you with solutions for reducing those expenses like investing in low-cost mutual funds and ETFs. All of your financial decisions build on one another, so you want to create a strategic long-term plan. Any response from your financial team should also include a specific plan of investing for retirement income, including creating a concerted and strategic withdrawal plan that seeks to maximise your retirement income.

4. “What Non-Financial Goals Do I Want to Accomplish?”

It’s time to put the “personal” in personal finance. Your personal goals are just as essential as your financial ones. You want to work with an advisor who genuinely cares about both because each is critical to your financial future. Diving into your professional and personal goals will clearly demonstrate if your advisor is a good long-term fit. After all, your money should support the people, places, and things that mean the most to you.

Perhaps you are passionate about giving back to causes you care about. Your advisor should help you create a strategic charitable giving plan, like utilising qualified charitable distributions, contributing to donor-advised funds, and donating appreciated stock to offset capital gains tax, among other initiatives. You may choose to pick up new hobbies in retirement or even embark on an encore career. Or you might decide you want to move closer to family so you can spend more time spoiling your grandchildren. Whatever your non-financial goals are, be sure you can discuss them with your advisor and that they have a vested interest in helping you use your money to put you on a path to reach those goals. Discussing these goals also gives your advisor better insight into your personality, directly affecting how you plan. It may uncover something you may not have thought to mention that you need to address.

Work With A Trusted Retirement-Focused Fiduciary Advisor

There are thousands of financial advisors out there, but finding a financial professional you can trust to help you through retirement isn’t easy. But there are a few things you can look out for:

• Are they fiduciaries? Fiduciaries provide advice that’s always in your best interest. They are also obligated to disclose any conflicts of interest, so you know they only give advice that aligns with your financial picture, not their firm’s bottom line. We are passionate to operate as a fiduciary firm and love helping you craft the best for your retirement journey. If you aren’t sure if an advisor is a fiduciary, that can be a red flag. Do your due diligence to ensure you’re getting the best advice possible.
• Do they have the credentials and designations to best help you? With us, we are certified pension planners.
• How many years of experience do they have?
• Do they have specialised knowledge, training, or industry experience to serve your needs?

Taking a few minutes to ask some poignant questions and learn whether or not you’re working with the right financial advisor for your financial situation could save you a lot of trouble in the long run.

After all, you are entrusting your hard-earned money, so it’s a decision worth devoting your time and energy to.

If you are considering speaking with a retirement financial advisor and think we may be a good fit, contact us today and we will be happy to answer your questions.