This is probably a no-brainer but all the retirement posts and just paying more attention to our own financial situation has got me thinking! Would y’all recommend meeting with a financial planner?
We are newly married, no kids, both with steady local government jobs. But I think it would be beneficial to meet with a neutral party who can answer questions about retirement, savings, etc.
For those that have met with one, did you go through a large company or find a local person? TIA for any advice. This thread has been immensely helpful and eye opening.
If you think it would help you, then by all means, do it. I think you should look for a FEE BASED (not commission based) financial advisor. The person you meet with should not be trying to sell you any investment products. He/she should just be ADVISING you.
I never have felt the need to meet with a financial advisor. You can learn pretty much all you need to know by doing some online research and reading books. Unless you actually have assets or a large amount of money to invest already, it seems kind of a waste of money to pay a financial advisor to give you information you can get for free. We are in our late 30's, have two teenage kids, and are on track to have a $5m retirement (military pension plus TSP plus Roth IRAs) by the time we want to retire. We could have had a lot more, but hindsight is 20/20 and frankly, we couldn't really afford to save more than we have up to this point, with the choices we made regarding me being a stay at home mom and quitting my job 14 years ago.
The best thing you can do is max out your Roth IRA every year (if you qualify based on income limits), set your 401k contribution to 15%, and let it ride. Invest heavily in stocks (domestic and international mix) while you are young, adding in some bonds and government securities as you approach retirement age. If you have kids, start saving for college the day they are born and contribute as much as you can to a 529.