How can a financial advisor help you budget, save, and invest?

By Financial Advisor Hans Smith

Creating a reasonable budget is the first step in improving your financial health. When it comes to budgeting, I teach simplicity and don't believe it needs to be overly complex or time consuming for the majority of individuals and families.

With a simple budget in hand, I can help you create a reasonable savings and investing plan for the short, medium and longer-term. Savings and investing is not always just about retirement!

It's critical to use the appropriate investment accounts for your savings and investing. I'll help you understand the features of each type of investment account, and how taxes factor into the equation.

Many folks are familiar with automatic salary deferral into a 401k plan. The same concept can be applied to other types of investment accounts, and it's possible to save and invest into these accounts on an automated schedule.

Transitioning from the workforce to retirement can be a financially stressful time. Prior to this transition, it's a good time to take a close look at your investment risk, and obtain a solid understanding of your personal cash flows. The timing of when to take social security and investment withdrawal rates are two (of potentially many) important considerations.

**Budgeting, saving and cash flow management is included in our low-cost investment management rate.