I understand that an hourly, advice-only financial planner could offer ballpark guidance on saving, investing, and readiness for financial goals to fiscally unsophisticated clients or provide focused consultation on more advanced topics to almost anyone. I doubt, however, that any "plan" that includes future assumptions such as investment returns can achieve clarity, let alone certainty.An hourly fee only advisor is a great way for you to finally achieve some clarity
For me, financial planning involves only those things withn my control such as discretionary spending/rate of savings, minimizing investment expenses, asset allocation, and tax-efficient fund placement.
OP, for example, said, "when you make a financial plan, it is likely to be wrong or at least off. You planned to have $2M in retirement but ends up with $1M or $3M." That's an aspiration not a financial plan for me. Assumptions, especially with any degree of precision, about the future returns of your portfolio are clairvoyance not financial planning. I'd run away from an advisor who made such assumptions with clarity.
Statistics: Posted by Rocinante Rider — Mon Jan 19, 2026 10:45 am — Replies 62 — Views 2298