A little over a month ago, I went on vacation with Wendy and two good friends. We had a great time! It is always good to unwind with folks you enjoy spending time with.
As part of this, I was asked to join my friends at a golf outing. It was my very first time playing anything other than putt putt, an embarrassing admission from a financial advisor. My friends were very supportive and promised to provide constructive advice while only occasionally poking fun.
We ended up purchasing roughly 40 golf balls combined; a good call as I was responsible for losing about 30 of them after we played all 18 holes.
There would be instances where I would try to hit the ball forward and it went right or left. There were countless numbers of swings and misses.
I even accomplished a feat that neither of my friends had ever seen. In attempting to drive the ball with a 7-Iron off a tee, I made the strongest contact of the entire day ……. with the tee itself. I hit the tee squarely a solid 50 yards or so and didn’t touch the ball at all. The tee was hit from under the ball, and the ball dropped on the ground without moving forward an inch; the golfing equivalent of pulling off the tablecloth from a table without moving the dishes. My moment of celebrity, but unfortunately no I-phones were recording it to create a viral You-Tube moment.
It was a rough time with all the different clubs except for perhaps the putter. The putter was my best friend, and I eventually made the strategic decision of using it for all shots 100 yards or closer.
There were some successes along the way and my friends made sure to cheer me on when I achieved those. They truly wanted to encourage me even if it was hard not to snicker at some of the funnier missteps. I was told that there was a high ceiling to my game and that the right coach could allow me to reach my full potential.
Financial planners are effectively financial coaches. We all have varying levels of experience in making the right personal financial decisions. For those with less experience, the experience of a qualified financial planner can add significant value and be an excellent option.
Even my friend with the strongest golf game indicated he would be interested in a coach. He was convinced that a more experienced player could identify some of the flaws in his approach and his swing to make him an even better golfer than he already was. He felt he could also use an outside perspective as we are all subject to our own biases.
Many of us are very knowledgeable about making personal financial decisions without the advice of a financial planner. However, we don’t know what we don’t know. A good financial planner can help to uncover opportunities which could make good decisions even better. They can also provide that outside and unbiased perspective that so many of us need.
Our motto is “we can help you with that.” We will collaborate with you on any financial decision you make, engaging other subject matter experts when necessary. We will not stop until we get things right.
We encourage you to reach out to us for assistance in making important financial decisions and we always appreciate you recommending us to others.
Gary
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- Gary Alpert Financial Strategies and LPL Financial do not provide tax advice or services.
- Any examples given are for illustrative purposes only and not meant to provide specific advice or recommendations for any individual. We strongly recommend you consult a qualified professional regarding your specific situation.
- Traditional IRA account owners have considerations to make before performing a Roth IRA conversion. These primarily include income tax consequences on the converted amount in the year of conversion, withdrawal limitations from a Roth IRA, and income limitations for future contributions to a Roth IRA. In addition, if you are required to take a required minimum distribution (RMD) in the year you convert, you must do so before converting to a Roth IRA.