What I Learned From My First Meeting With a Financial Advisor

I’ve been a personal finance writer for nearly a decade

I’ve interviewed dozens of financial advisors in that time, but I’m a little ashamed to admit that I’d never actually talked to one my own finances

That changed recently, when my husband — who works in finance too — accepted a new job offer

It felt the right moment to take a step back from focusing on other people’s money and focus on ours for a change

I set up our very first meeting with a certified financial planner, and learned a lot from the experience

If you’re curious what it’s to talk to an advisor, maybe you’ll learn something, too

Finding a CFP was surprisingly easyThe first step was to seek out an advisor

There are many types of financial advisors, but I knew I wanted to meet with a certified financial planner

CFPs go through a rigorous certification cess, handle a broad range of topics and have a fiduciary duty to act in their clients’ best interest

I went through XY Planning Network, a financial planning network I often use to find expert sources for

Instead of submitting a media request through the website I normally do, I clicked on the “find an advisor” button

The thought of sifting through a lot of files seemed extremely daunting

But in reality, it wasn’t bad at all

The whole cess from start to finish took less than 10 minutes

Advertisement1Answer a few simple questions2Get a match3Start achieving your money goalsWhat's your financial priority

Financial PlanningRetirement PlanningInvestment ManagementTax StrategyOtherMatch with a financial advisor for freePersonalizing the I started by entering our location into the bar

While many CFPs work virtually with clients throughout the country, I was looking for one who s in the Bay Area, us, and would be well-versed in the local industries and the housing market

Then, I set s to narrow the results based on advisor specialties

I chose a few key that describe my husband and me: married couples, parents, Gen Y/Millennials and HENRY (high earners, not rich yet)

Scheduling the meetingMy husband and I clicked on a few files that appeared on the first results page

We checked out the advisors’ websites and up picking the CFP whose site we felt looked the most fessional and inviting

The clean design, dusty rose colors and her smiling photo gave the site a calming vibe

We appreciated that the CFP’s fees were ly laid out and easy to find

We also found her FAQs helpful

We clicked on the website’s “book appointment” button to schedule a free introductory meeting

We chose a date and time on the calendar and entered a few details

Ahead of the consultation, the CFP ed us a virtual meeting link and agenda: we’d chat our financial goals, challenges and what kind of support we might need

The meeting was very casualThe first meeting was simply getting to know each other

We didn’t need to come prepared with tax returns, account balances or anything that

The CFP kicked off the conversation with a quick introduction

She discussed her educational background, experience and what she aims to help people accomplish

We talked how my husband is to start a new job, and d our main goals: saving for our kids’ education and buying a in the future

We explained that while we feel good our finances, we’re curious what we could be doing better

The CFP told us what we could expect if we decided to keep working with her

In addition to reviewing numbers, we'd discuss our goals, values and feelings around money

She said she'd look at our current and jected income, expenses and net worth

She also talked the planning software she uses to map out different scenarios

But there was no pressure to move forward with planning services

We felt comfortable and supported throughout the 30-minute call

Advisors aren’t just for rich peoplefessionally, I’ve talked to enough CFPs to know that advisors work with people in different life and wealth stages

But I always figured the more money someone had, the more useful an advisor would be

My husband and I are high earners, but not wealthy

So it was reassuring to hear the CFP in our meeting say she believes everyone could benefit from a financial advisor

We wouldn’t have to meet an asset requirement to work with her

Still, our CFP acknowledged that working with a financial advisor is “a luxury expense,” and some people would rather not spend the money on one

She said a good sign someone might need an advisor is if they’re checking their bank account daily or constantly transferring money between accounts to make sure there’s enough to cover a bill

An advisor can also be worthwhile if you just don’t have the energy to stay on top of your finances, she added

In our meeting, we dived deeper into the different topics that advisors can help with, including reviewing employee benefits packages, planning for college or retirement, investment advice and estate planning

I have a lot more thinking to do The CFP said she’d check back in with us in a few weeks

In the meantime, my husband and I will have to out what we want to do next

Should we hire this CFP

Should we schedule introductory meetings with other CFPs

Do we want to pay for planning services at all right now

Whatever we decide, I’m glad we had this experience

Meeting with an advisor helped me realize that even though we have financial goals, we haven’t been checking our gress toward them as often as we should

It was a good reminder that we’ve had our finances on autopilot for a long time

We need to take a closer look at our income, expenses and investments

One thing I’m confident in: this won’t be the last time I work with a financial advisor

The authorLauren SchwahnLauren is a personal finance writer at NerdWallet

Her work has been by USA Today and The Associated Press