Personal Finance Advice You Can Use
Financial services have become a very difficult topic to discuss given the tremendous amount of media coverage associated with these investment banking companies who may or may not have acted illegally in there attempts to generate transactions and options for investors. Even though at some level there should be some concern about what the companies who package investment products are doing, it doesn't and should vilify the individuals who are making a career out of helping consumers understand and obtain their financial goals.
To the point, let's remember that decisions are made with information and sales are made with emotion. These individuals must be planners and also salespeople, which presents a difficult and trusted position when it comes to making sure the clients best interests are always being served rather than some commission goal. The reason this is important is because as we are all competitive individuals, it's easy to get focused on investment returns rather than the logical rationale that each of our financial pictures are different and require different levels of returns and subsequent risk to be successful.
Financial planning is the process of putting the pieces of your present and future together with assumptions as to what the future uncertainty will do for your retirement lifestyle. The uncertain assumptions that need to be made are Inflation, Taxes, Investment Returns, Rainy Days, Insurance, etc. and there are enough of them to be sure that your future will remain uncertain unless there is a plan.