\n A working-class, single woman approaching retirement asks HerMoney CEO Jean Chatzky how she can find a financial advisor who is right for her. <\/p>\n
Twice a week, our CEO and resident money guru Jean Chatzky tackles your burning questions in\u00a0the HerMoney newsletter<\/a>. We\u2019ve pulled some of the best to feature on our website \u2014 and this one made the cut! Got a question for Jean?\u00a0Send it her way right here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Q:<\/strong> Today\u2019s question comes from Susan. She writes: \u201cI\u2019m working class, single, and plan to retire in three years. I need help preparing for every aspect of retirement, from taxes to Medicare. I can\u2019t afford to hire a CPA or financial planner. I know a fee-only fiduciary is best, but when I go to websites, they seem to have carved out a specific silo. Is there someone who can help me, a person with less than $500K in investable assets?\u201d<\/p>\n A:<\/strong> Unfortunately, the myth that getting help from a financial professional is something that only wealthy people do is exactly why so many women feel shut out of financial planning.\u00a0So let\u2019s get one thing out of the way first: you\u2019re not asking for too much, and you\u2019re not too small for good advice.<\/p>\n Many advisors charge a percentage of assets under management, which means they set minimums, and their revenue scales with your portfolio. However, that\u2019s not the only model \u2013 and there are places you can look to get the retirement help you\u2019re seeking at a cost that fits your budget. Here\u2019s how to start.\u00a0<\/p>\n Begin by asking for recommendations from people you know \u2013 and preferably, those with similar finances. From there, you can search directories operated by trade groups (NAPFA<\/a>, LetsMakeAPlan.org<\/a>, PlannerSearch.org<\/a>) or private businesses (Willow<\/a>, Garrett Planning Network<\/a> and XY Planning Network<\/a> are good places to start). You may also find help through your workplace, or your bank or brokerage.\u00a0<\/p>\n As you dig in, look for advisors who are willing to be paid hourly for a one-time plan. Then, follow these tips.<\/p>\n Meet for free: <\/b>Many advisors will offer introductory meetings at no cost. There, you\u2019ll likely get an overview of their fees and planning process \u2013 and you may get some of your biggest questions answered free of charge.\u00a0<\/p>\n Go in prepared:<\/b> When you\u2019ve found a good match and it\u2019s time to actually pay for a meeting, make sure you\u2019re making the most of your time by going in prepared with a list of your biggest worries and questions you\u2019d like addressed.<\/p>\n Ask about follow-ups:<\/b> If you click with your advisor, you may want to continue to meet even after they\u2019ve put together a plan for you. If doing so quarterly isn\u2019t in the budget, perhaps annually is \u2013 or you may be able to just schedule a check-in when a big question comes up.\u00a0<\/p>\n Lastly, for help with Medicare specifically, every state has a State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP)<\/a> that connects you with counselors who offer free, unbiased Medicare advice, including help with enrollment, plan comparisons, coverage questions, and more. Find your state\u2019s SHIP here<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n MORE ON HERMONEY:<\/strong><\/p>\n SUBSCRIBE:<\/strong>\u00a0Looking for more financial insights delivered right to your inbox?\u00a0Make this thing official with a free HerMoney subscription today<\/a>!<\/p>\n Editor\u2019s note: We maintain a strict editorial policy<\/a> and a judgment-free zone for our community, and we also strive to remain transparent in everything we do. Posts may contain references and links to products from our partners. Learn more about how we make money.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A working-class, single woman approaching retirement asks HerMoney CEO Jean Chatzky how she can find a financial advisor…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":679265,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[177],"tags":[79,287417,18,6777,287418,287419,19,17,234,235,11756,2895,185142,11530,60902,287420,287421],"class_list":["post-679264","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-personal-finance","tag-business","tag-cost-of-a-financial-advisor","tag-eire","tag-financial-advice","tag-find-the-right-advisor","tag-how-to-choose-a-financial-advisor","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-personal-finance","tag-personalfinance","tag-retirement-plan","tag-retirement-planning","tag-retirement-planning-for-women","tag-single","tag-single-women","tag-single-women-and-money","tag-single-women-managing-money"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ie\/117237716455070726","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/679264","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=679264"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/679264\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/679265"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=679264"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=679264"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=679264"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}