The Half-Investor

FINANCIAL ADVISERS…How many times have you wondered why someone is sat in front of you if they are, as they say, a ‘Self-Investor’? 

It’s strange, isn’t it?  

Do DIY ‘Self-Plumbers’ book appointments with plumbers?  

And if they did, would the plumber happily give them an hour of their time to view their plumbing ideas and give them some advice? 

Nope. They wouldn’t. 

They’d sling you out the door for being cheeky and wasting their time. 

But before we start throwing clients out of the building, let’s just step back for a moment. 

Because ‘Self-Investor’ is a phrase that is thrown around with much abandon, and very rarely does it mean ‘Self-Investor’ in the truest sense.  

Namely, someone who conducts all their own research and due diligence, performs the transaction and takes responsibility for the outcome. 

Most, self-proclaimed ‘Self-Investors’ are actually ‘Half-Investors’. 

• They’ve come up with (or heard from somewhere else) the idea. 
• They’ve done some rudimentary research with the aid of ‘Dr Google and the YouTubers’. 
• They’ve bottled it at the crucial moment because they don’t have the confidence to transact it themselves – they want a second opinion before they do.

That’s where you come in with your free advice service! 

And of course, the fact that they want your opinion (by opinion, I mean rubber stamp) before doing anything, tells you that they’re not taking the responsibility for it in their own heads. 

Can you guess who is? 

Yep, that would be you. 

And the danger is, in an effort to be helpful, you review their ideas and give them some pointers because you’re a nice person. 

At best, you’ve just given your hard-earned professional experience away for free. 

At worst, you’re now on the hook for something that you haven’t been paid for. 

So how do we deal with them? 

1. Don’t get drawn into a discussion – you are not a free advice dispensing drive-thru kiosk. 
2. Give them your best Roger Moore or Boris Karloff (watch the video).
3. Demonstrate that they are not really a ‘Self-Investor’ by using the tip in the video. 

If they can complete it all then great, they are a ‘Self-Investor’ – you can send them on their way. 

If they can’t, then they are not a ‘Self-Investor’. 

They are a ‘Half-Investor’. 

They want a full-blooded investment recommendation with professional design, but they don’t want to pay for it. 

And that’s not really a ‘thing’. 

So, let’s tell it like it is.  

There are two options: 

1. Engage and pay for my professional services and we’ll do it my way. 
2. Go on your own, take responsibility for it, and do it your own way.  

There is no option where I fill in the blanks of your plan for free, you get the bragging rights when it goes well, and I take the responsibility when it doesn’t.

Just ask your plumber. 

Tap here to get your own Self Investor Portfolio Information Form.

PlanHappy.co.uk – Software, Training & Business Services for Financial Planners

FREE TRIAL – INSTANT ACCESS

• End-to-End Lifestyle Financial Planning Process & Software
• Full Financial Planner Back Office System
• Coaching for Financial Planners

#financialplanning