Financial Planner - Yes or No?

The idea of having a Financial Planner really appeals to me. But each of the 4 times that I met with a Financial Planner over the years, I walked away feeling that someone was just looking at me as a “Commission Generator”.

One time, a “Planner” turned out to be just an Insurance Salesman who tried to sell me a Whole Life Policy as the sole investment in the retirement part of my “Plan”. This might’ve been a smart option if I were 25 and could really take advantage of my premiums building up over the years. But I was 48 at the time. And that didn’t leave too many years for the premiums to build up.

But today, I read a great article by Terry Savage on The Street.com about How to Choose a Financial Planner. And it really got me thinking . Could I use one? Probably. Could I trust one? That’s a tougher question to answer right now. But who knows? I might interview a few and find one that I can really work with. How about you? What’s your take on Financial Planners?