What should you bring to your first meeting?
1. Your goals. Before you meet with an advisor, it’s a good idea to have your goals sorted out.
To understand what your goals are, think about things like this:
- What do you want in the short-, medium- and long-term? (i.e. a large purchase, retirement, giving to charities, etc.)
- Would you like to have children (if you don’t already)?
- Are you thinking about changing careers?
- Do you want to buy a house?
- Do you need an emergency fund?
- Do you want to go back to school?
- Do you have anyone who depends on you financially?
- What’s important to you?
2. Your financial documents. The next things to prepare are your financial documents. The more information you can bring to a meeting, the better.
Start by gathering up these documents, or noting the amounts:
You should also be prepared to share:
- how much debt you have, and
- what your monthly payments are (i.e. bills, rent, car payments).
It may feel uncomfortable to share personal information with someone new. But rest assured that your information is kept confidential. The more information you provide, the better analysis and recommendations an advisor will be able to give you.