Here we go again. That five letter word T-R-U-S-T leads directly to our emotions. Who can we trust with our investments? How do we know that a fee-only financial adviser is trustworthy? In my previous blog post (Trust and Investing), John Bogle wrote that the only thing you can trust is that the economies of the entire planet will grow over time. As a do-it-yourself investor, you can eliminate trusting an adviser. I thought I will take up this topic again through a book review because many of you want help, and there are trustworthy fee-only advisers. This book might provide clues by the language which reflect trust that these advisers use.
According to the authors, you are not the only one who might not trust an adviser again. Most Americans are still reeling over the 2008 stock market crash. Because of 2008, trusting a financial adviser and the industry has radically changed according to the authors. They wrote: “The roots of negative selling run deep. It has a long history of success. But our culture has changed, and negative selling is no longer consistent with who we are as consumers…Yet salespeople still often find themselves in that gray area between creating fear and illustrating a need-which in turn costs them sales.”
While the book’s primary audience is for the financial professional, my review might help you gain confidence on how to evaluate a potential adviser. Remember, you are interviewing potential advisers, not the other way around. My review of this book addresses the trust problem head-on and it’s for people who are looking for a trustworthy financial adviser.
